We're in This Together
by Pagemaster96
Summary: Naruto, alone and despised, has a fateful meeting with the Kyuubi no Kitsune who offers him a deal: Promise to set him free upon death, and the Kyuubi will help him become Hokage. How will this affect Naruto's future, and what levels of strength can he obtain when his tenant isn't screwing with his chakra control? WARNING: UPDATES WILL BE SPORADIC I PROMISE TO DO MY BEST
1. Chapter 1

**We're In This Together**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did it would never have gotten off the ground**

**If you want good Naruto Fanfiction, find ****Kenchi618**** (Search authors on Fanfiction)the best writer I've seen!**

**Ch. 1**

_Konoha, October 10th, Naruto's 6th birthday_

"I'm sorry! I don't know what I did but I'm SORRY!" A six-year-old child screamed as he ran through the streets, trying to escape a drunken mob that seemed hell-bent on beating him into a coma...just like last year.

"You were born! That's what you did!" One of the villafers yelled as he threw a large stone at the boy, nailing him on the back of his head.

The boy screamed in pain as he stumbled, but he did not fall. He couldn't, not again. The last time he fell, they caught him and all he remembered afterwards was pain before he felt the sweet call of darkness. He had woken up three days later, bruised and bloody, before the doctors said he could go home. He had told them he was still hurt, begged them to let him stay until he was better, but all they said was _"You'll live"_ before they kicked him out.

"Just leave me alone!" The boy screamed as he ducked through a small alley before he dove under a loose tarp and went still. He heard the mob run into the alley, stopping as they searched for him. He heard them muttering things like "Where'd he go?", "Demon brat!", and "He's a sly one, just like a fox should be!" as they searched for him.

"I found him! He's under the tarp!" One of them shouted as she ripped the tarp off of the cowering child. The mob surrounded the blond-haired boy, the three whisker-like marks on each cheek the only confirmation they needed to treat him like the monster they hated, the demon he contained, the Kyubi no Kitsune.

"Any last words monster?" One of the men asked. He wore a strip of cloth on his head with a metal plate covering his brow, the standard-issue hitai-ate given to any shinobi upon graduation from the shinobi acedemy.

"..." The boy mumbled a response that none of them heard.

"Speak up freak!" The ninja shouted.

"I said my name is NARUTO!" The boy screamed as he stared at mob with a strange glint in his eye, causing a few of them to step back. Only those closest to the boy stepped back, including the unidentified shinobi, but that combined with the wary looks some of them gave him told him one thing.

_"They're afraid of me?"_ Naruto thought.

Before the boy could ponder any further, the mob rushed him, swinging wildly with fists, bricks, sticks-anything they had.

As the onslaught of punishment continued, The young jinchuriki could only curl into a ball and hope that they knocked him out quickly. After all,

_"What else could I do?"_ He thought miserably as he grew angry at the villagers that obviously delighted in his suffering, and the cloaked men in masks that sat on the rooftops, watching the event unfold like it was a play.

Although Naruto never expected anyone to respond to his silent question, one creature did.

_**"..."**_ The young boy heard what sounded like a whisper echo through his mind, it was so quiet he wasn't sure if was even there.

_"What?"_ He thought as he felt sweet call of darkness once again.

_**"I SAID FIGHT BACK YOU FOOL!"**_ A deep, rumbling voice shouted in his mind, drowning out the howls of pleasure from the creatures that called themselves humans as well as chasing away the darkness at the edge of his vision and even allowing him to see things with startling clarity.

Despite having no training in taijutsu and never having tried to fight before, Naruto instictively lunged for the shinobi in the mob, letting loose a a terrifying roar as he clawed at his face and slammed his forehead into his nose, breaking it, before jumping off of his body and tearing into the villagers.

He slashed and broke limbs, tore their weapons from their hands and broke them over skulls, and beat their bodies to a pulp, but made sure none of the wounds were lethal.

He avoided arteties, made sure that he didn't break heads open, and did not use his new claws to stab anyone. He would not grant them death, he would ensure they survived and allow them to wallow in fear and despair whenever they met his eyes after this day, and when he became Hokage he would ensure they bowed to him, knowing that this was the same 'demon brat' they tortured on his birthday. He wouldn't hurt them though.

He would just rub it in their faces. After all, a Hokage without villagers is like a king without subjects.

_Nightfall, Naruto's apartment_

After the villagers had scattered and the men in cloaks had left, Naruto had stumbled back to his apartment, exhausted from running from the mob from early afternoon to late evening and the fight once they caught him. Naruto wasn't the sharpest shuriken in the pouch, but he understood his limits...or at least, he thought he did.

Sure, he was stronger and faster than a child his age should have been without training or physical conditioning, but he was still only five-no, he was six now, the mob had chased him on his birthday...again. Anyway, he was sure that he wasn't strong enough to beat up that many villagers, drunk or otherwise, on his own, especially not when they had a genin on their side, although he was probably a chunin that just didn't wear his vest that day, based on his age and the fact that a jonin couldn't be caught off guard that easily, which made it even more unbelievable.

_"Maybe it was adrel...adrenla-"_

_**"It's called 'adrenaline' gaki."**_A familiar voice said.

_"Right, thanks...wait...who said that?" _Naruto thought. Instead of an answer, Naruto suddenly found himself standing in front of a massive prison cell, with a giant pair of red, slitted eyes staring back at him, he could see nothing else through the shadows of the cell.

**"Hello Naruto, it's good to finally see my jailor in person."** The face said, revealing massive sharp teeth as it spoke.

"Where am I, who are you, how do you know me, and what's a jailor." Naruto asked calmly, not the least bit scared of suddenly standing in front disembodied face trapped in a prison cell located in a sewer.

_**"**_**I forgot, you're only a child. As for your questions, you are currently in your mind, I'd suggest you don't think about that too much since it's actually rather confusing, I am the Kyubi no Kitsune, more commonly known as the Nine-tailed Demon Fox. I know you because I've been with you since the hour of your birth, and a jailor is a person that makes sure people stay in prison. Are you understanding me so far?"** The Kyubi explained/asked.

"...I think I got it Kyubi-san." Naruto replied after a moment of thought.

**"Normally I'd tell you to address me as Kyubi-sama, but considering who I'm talking to I'll take what I can get. Anyway, I've brought you here to make you an offer Naruto, if you promise to release me from my cell when you die, then I will train you in the shinobi arts and make you strong enough to at least be a candidate for becoming Hokage." **Kyubi said.

"Really!? You can make me Hokage!?" Naruto asked, excited.

** "No, I can't make you Hokage. I can make you **_**strong enough **_**to be Hokage, but I can't actually make you Hokage, you either need the current Hokage to name you as their successor or you need the shinobi and civilian councils' approval to be made Hokage. I can make you one of the strongest shinobi in the village if that makes it easier to understand." **Kyubi explained.

"...Okay, you got deal!" Naruto said. "I swear on my dream of being Hokage and my honor as a future ninja that I'll let you out of your cage when I die, as long as you keep your promise." Naruto said seriously, a small grin on his face.

**"And I, the Kyubi no Kitsune, swear on my nine tails to make you one the strongest shinobi in the history of your village."** Kyubi replied, just as serious and with a small grin of his own.

**"Now, when you get back to your apartment only a few seconds will have passed. What I want you to do is eat dinner, shower, and go to bed. Once you are asleep, I will train you in your dreams on the mental aspects of being a shinobi, which means chakra control exercises, fuinjutsu theory, hand-seal practice, and mental sparring so you can get the basics of taijutsu down pat. You won't be able to get faster or stronger in your mind, but you can learn taijutsu and get your muscle memory down-pat so it's easier to perform in the physical plane."** Kyubi explained before the sewer and the prison cell disappeared and Naruto found himself back in his apartment.

Quickly eating dinner and bathing, Naruto followed the Kyubi's instructions and went to sleep, where he trained under the Kyubi's stern gaze, making sure that he did everything perfectly. He started out slow with taijutsu and hand-seals before he started doing them faster and faster, learning entire katas and the required combinations for common ninjutsu.

Apparently, the Kyubi had, in its spare time, created its own form of taijutsu that it had affectionately dubbed the **Kitsune no Ken (Fox Fist)**, that specialized in brutal strikes and vicious attacks. It was similar to the Inuzuka clan's taijutsu, but it had more finesse to it and had two stances it could be used from; the upper stance, which was basically standing on two legs with the knees bent and hands curled halfway between fists and claws, and the lower stance; which was to be used when Naruto drew on the kyuubi's chakra so it would feel more natural to move around on all fours and strike by using his claws.

Both stances relied heavily on speed and feral attacks, but they each leaned more towards one or the other. Upper stance was much more offensive and focused on getting in, dealing damage, and getting out.

The lower stance was similar, but instead of hit and run tactics Naruto would dart back and forth across the battlefield and kick him around instead of leaving him in the same relative location

And so Naruto spent what felt like days in his mindscape learning these things until it was time to start the Kyubi's physical training.

_Morning, Dawn_

Naruto yawned as he woke up and went to the bathroom before eating his usual breakfast of instant ramen. He quickly put on a blue shirt and a pair of shorts before heading out the door.

_**"Alright gaki, I want you to go into that clothing store and look for something bright and almost impossible to not see." **_Kyubi said.

_ "Why Kyubi-sensei?"_ Naruto asked.

_**"Don't question me, just trust that what I tell you to do will help you get stronger in the long run."**_Kyubi replied.

_"Yes Sensei."_ Naruto thought as walked into the previously mentioned store and quickly noticed a hideous orange jumpsuit with blue trim and a red spiral on the back, almost like a bullseye on a target lit up with neon. No one could possibly hide or even escape pursuit if they wore something like that, they'd have to be an expert at stealth to...oh. _"I never should have questioned you Sensei."_ Naruto thought as he grabbed the outfit and purchased it, at triple price, and left the store.

_**"Don't worry about it gaki, I would have questioned me too."**_ Kyubi replied as the walked to the weapons shop that was located near the clothing shop. _**"Wait, search the dumpster first. They may not be usable in actual combat, but it's better than blowing half your savings on kunai and shuriken that your just going to be using for training for the next six years."**_ Kyubi said. Naruto did as he was told and found over thirty assorted kunai and shuriken that were a bit rusty and had a few nicks or cratches on them, although he left the bent ones in the trash.

_**"Alright Kit, let's get to a training ground and start training. I also want you to listen to what I'm about to say very closely. When you start at the academy in two days, I want you to-"**_

**AN: Please review and let me know what's good, what's bad, and ways I can improve. I do not have spellcheck so feel free to point out errors. **

**PS, I will not respond to reviews in-story, please PM me if you have questions.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch. 2**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did it would never have gotten off the ground**

**If you want good Naruto Fanfiction, find ****Kenchi618**** (Search authors on Fanfiction)the best writer I've seen!**

_6 and a Half Years of idiocy and pranks later_

"Alright class, I'm happy happy to tell you that you have passed your final exam, with one exception." A scar-faced chunin said, his voice turning a bit sad at the end, showing that he felt sorry for said exception. "I'm sorry Naruto, but you'll have to try again next year due to your inability to perform the **Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Jutsu)**." He continued, his voice incredibly sincere.

"Don't worry Iruka-sensei, it's not your fault." Naruto replied as he walked out of the room and went to sit on the swing as he watched all the parents pick up their children and praise them on graduating. He could also here the mutterings of how people were glad he had failed and it was good that he wouldn't be a ninja.

Little did they know, everything was going according to plan.

Naruto made a frown spread across his face, accentuated by a look of sorrow and disappointment as he waited for Mizuki to approach him in an attempt to manipulate him into stealing the scroll of seals.

It was a good thing he muttered to himself, otherwise Naruto wouldn't have had the chance to learn some of the most powerful jutsu ever to be created or learned by any Leaf shinobi since Senju Hashirama.

Naruto felt the slight flare of chakra and gust of wind that accompanied the average **Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Jutsu)** that any Konoha shinobi used; a swirl of leaves.

"I'm sorry that you didn't graduate Naruto, I was really hoping for you." Mizuki lied with fake sympathy saturating his every word.

"Cut the crap Mizuki, I know you only wanted me to graduate so I would be someone else's problem." Naruto replied as he looked straight at the treacherous chunin.

Mizuki looked surprised before he quickly went with it and continued his plan.

"Alright, you got me kid. Listen, there's another way to pass the exam, it's kind of a cop-out but you get to graduate if you succeed." Mizuki said, making sure Naruto was listening.

"You have my attention." Naruto replied.

"Alright, now all you have to do is..."

_Later, Nightfall, Cabin in the Wood's_

"Well, that was easy and I _still_ haven't taken off my jumpsuit yet." Naruto commented as he quickly copied down as many jutsu as he could from the scroll of seals onto a series of smaller blank scrolls as he waited for Mizuki to show.

_"Thanks again for the fuinjutsu lessons Kyubi-sensei."_ Naruto thought as he finished copying all the 'interesting' jutsu into the first small scroll before he started copying the 'disturbing' jutsu into a second one. He had just finished copying **Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei** in its entirety, using the fuinjutsu shortcut for copying written documents, when he felt Iruka approaching.

Before he could decide whether or not he should hide, Iruka had already found him, thanks in no small part to his jumpsuit.

"Naruto! What are you doing with that scroll!?" Iruka demanded once he landed in front of the blond jinchuriki, panting lightly. Time to play the 'innocent victim' card.

"Hey Iruka sensei! You found me fast! I only had time to learn the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** from the scroll, hahaha!" Naruto said, continuing his charade of being a pathetic dobe with minimal intelligence.

"What? You mean you commited a capital crime just to learn a new jutsu!?" Iruka yelled. It was at this point that Naruto feigned confusion with a touch of fear.

"C-Capital crime? But...Mizuki-sensei said...he said if I could steal the scroll and learn a jutsu before he showed up here that...that I could graduate with the rest of the class." Naruto said, pulling the dreaded puppy-dog eyes and trembling lip combo with a teary-eyed twist. It was enough to get sympathy from someone as cold as a Hyuga, if only a little. Iruka however was putty in his hands.

Naruto felt guilty for manipulating one of the few people that actually gave a damn about him, but he'd make it up to him...he'd teach him a cool jutsu or two and help him out in the academy once he got some down time from training and missions with his future genin team. He was interupted from his musings as Mizuki's voice reached him.

"Good job Naruto, now just give me the scroll and the test is over!" Mizuki said as he slowly reached for one of the giant shuriken on his back.

"Hell no Mizuki! you played me like a violin, so now I'm going to beat you like a drum!" Naruto shouted as he placed the giant scroll next to a tree for safe-keeping. As he turned around, he saw a massive shuriken flying right towards his face and Iruka moving into the line of fire.

Nothing a seal-less **Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body-Replacement Jutsu)** can't fix. A slight rush of chakra followed by a plume of smoke and suddenly Naruto was standing in front of a confused Iruka, holding the giant shuriken by the hole in its center with a blank look on his face.

"What?" Both Mizuki and Iruka asked, surprised by the sudden turn of events.

"Mizuki, you have just royally pissed me off." Naruto said angrily as he tossed the shuriken into the forest, causing it to fell a tree that it struck. Needless to say that both chunin were speechless at the display of skill and strength.

Mizuki was trying to think of a way to get Naruto to either help him get the scroll, or put him out of commission until he could escape. He quickly came up with a plan.

"Naruto, have you ever wondered why the villagers hate you?"Mizuki asked smugly, positive that it would be something he just _had_ to know.

"No Mizuki! It's forbidden!" Iruka yelled, stunned that his old friend could stoop so low.

"Naruto, you are-" Mizuki was cut off by the young blond.

"I am the guy who's gonna kick your ass!" Naruto shouted as he leapt straight at Mizuki, fist cocked back for a punch. Mizuki lashed out with a kick to the boy's abdomen, feeling triumphant before a plume of smoke appeared and he saw that his foot had kicked right on the spike of his giant shuriken.

There was a giant metal spike going through his foot...

"AAAARRGH!" Mizuki screamed before he was suddenly kicked in the back of the head, causing him to fall to the ground in a heap. _"At least the shuriken's not stuck in my foot anymore._" The traitorous chunin thought bitterly.

"Hey Mizuki-teme!" Naruto yelled as he formed a strange cross-shaped hand-seal. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Jutsu)!**" The clearing was suddenly filled with a dozen of orange-clad Narutos, all looking ready for a fight. "The odds are a dozen to one against you, feel like taking a gamble?" The original asked.

Mizuki was trembling by this point, it was clear that he had no way out. Even if he could beat the demon brat, which was clearly a long shot, he would still have to outpace Iruka and the Anbu. He only had one chance left.

"Alright, I know when I'm beaten...I surrender." Mizuki said as he got on his knees and put his hands in the air, shoulder-length apart from each other.

As Naruto's clones dispersed, Iruka snapped out of his shock and quickly apprehended the rogue chunin, tying his rands together so he couldn't form hand-seals and applying basic chakra-suppresion seals.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked tentatively.

"Yes Naruto?" Iruka replied, surprised by the uncertainty in his student's voice. "If you're worried about punishment, don't be. I'll make sure everyone knows that Mizuki tricked you, and I'll be sure to tell them how you beat down a chunin without so much as getting your clothes dirty!" Iruka assured him, a big smile on his face and pride in his voice.

"About that, I was hoping you could say you beat him and I just had a bunch of kage bunshin running interference. I'd prefer to remain the unpredictable knucklehead of Konoha for a little longer, if only to make a grand reveal later."Naruto asked, rubbing the back of his head and giving a sheepish grin. Mizuki was out cold so they didn't have to worry about him, since he would never admit to losing to a kid that failed the genin exam.

Iruka was surprised by the request, but he quickly agreed to it regardless. Although he refused to lie on the mission report, that wouldn't matter since the whole encounter would be classified as an S-rank mission, making it classified information. The two of them carried Mizuki-and the scroll-to the Hokage tower to explain the situation, in Naruto's case, and give a mission report, in Iruka's case.

"Hey, I still pass the graduation exam, right Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked the scarred chunin as they neared the tower, flanked by an Anbu escort.

"Naruto, you stole a heavily guarded scroll containing the most powerful kinjutsu the village has in its possession, one of which you learned, and evaded the Anbu afterwards...of course you pass!" Iruka scolded/exclaimed. The escort seemed a bit miffed about the fact that they had failed to capture the class clown in the orange jumpsuit, _again_, but didn't comment.

As they entered the Hokage's office, Naruto saw a familiar shinobi speaking with the old man in white robes. Well...his hair was familiar.

"Wavy-san?" Naruto asked. He remembered that an Anbu, with hair just like this man's, had rescued him from the mob on his fifth birthday just before he lost conciousness.

The silver-haired shinobi turned around to look at the young blond, his single visible eye widening in recognition. "...Naruto?" The man asked as he fully turned to face the boy. "It is you! It's good to see you again gaki, how've you been?" He asked.

"Well, after my sixth birthday I've been alright, people stopped attacking me after that." Naruto replied before he could think about his present company. Namely Iruka.

"Wait a minute, people have been attacking Naruto!?" Iruka asked, furious about this new piece of information.

"Don't worry Iruka-san, the matter was handled years ago and it's no longer relevent." The silver-haired shinobi assured. After Iruka had calmed down, the old man in the Hokage hat, Sarutobi Hiruzen, cleared his throat.

"Now that that's out of the way, perhaps you two could explain to me _exactly_ why the scroll of seals was stolen." The man in the fancy hat asked.

"Of course, Hokage-sama." Iruka replied. "It went like this-"

**AN: Please review and let me know what's good, what's bad, and ways I can improve. I do not have spellcheck so feel free to point out errors. **

**PS, I will not respond to reviews in-story, please PM me if you have questions.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch. 3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did it would never have gotten off the ground**

**If you want good Naruto Fanfiction, find ****Kenchi618**** (Search authors on Fanfiction)the best writer I've seen!**

_Two Days Later-With Naruto_

_"If I'm going to be a shinobi, I should know where the training grounds are and which ones are frequented by other shinobi."_ Naruto thought as he wandered through the woods, finding a clearing with a trio of posts stuck in the ground, all equidistant from each other.

Just as Naruto stepped in front of the first post, he heard the whistling of a kunai followed by a female voice saying "watch out!"

Just as Naruto turned to see the kunai sailing at him, it buried itself in his eye, the momentum carrying his now lifeless body into the post before he slid into a sitting position on the ground-dead.

"OH NOO!" A kunoichi screamed as she rushed over to the corpse of genin she had just killed. He had come out of nowhere just as she had thrown the kunai. He didn't even have time for the smile to leave his face before he died, he was probably still ecstatic from having finally become a genin, poor kid.

_"At least he died happy...and he didn't have have the joy sucked out of him by D-ranks."_ The bun-haired kunoichi thought as she wept over the young blond's corpse.

"Tenten-chan...why are you crying over a log with a kunai in it?" A young boy in a green spandex bodysuit asked, his bowl-cut shining with gel and his massive eyebrows raised in confusion. The kunoichi, Tenten, stopped crying and took another look. Sure enough, there was a log with a kunai in it, no blond corpse in sight.

"But...But I..." She said, too confused to properly form a sentence.

"Praise the log! The guardian and protector of all shinobi and most honorable companion to those that believe in it!" A voice yelled from the forest, followed by a rustling of leaves as a blond boy in an orange jumpsuit dropped from the trees above.

"You! You're the kid that almost got a kunai through his head!" Tenten yelled, furious that she had cried over him when he wasn't the least bit hurt.

"Sorry, I was taking a stroll and checking out the training grounds, I figured I should make sure I know where they were for when I meet my jonin-sensei since they generally have their own favorite spot." Naruto explained as he picked up the log, removed the kunai, and handed it back to the kunoichi before he sealed the log in a scroll in his ninja pouch.

"I guess that makes sense, but you need to keep an eye on your surroundings newbie." Tenten said a bit snobbishly as she placed the kunai in her own ninja pouch.

"I escaped easily enough, and I had a squad of Kage Bunshin ready to ambush you at any time." Naruto replied as said Bunshin dropped down from the trees, kunai in hand.

There were over half a dozen of them, each with a smug look on its face as they holstered their weapons. The bun-haired kunoichi lost her superior attitude fairly quickly, once she realized that they were _actual_ Kage Bunshin and not just the basic illusionary Bunshin. It was obvious by how they made a slight _thud_ as they hit the ground.

"That-that's jonin-level technique!" Tenten exclaimed.

"Yes, it is." Naruto replied with a blank look on his face, not showing an ounce of the amusement he felt.

"Where did you learn it?" Tenten asked, her tone making it clear that it was actually a demand.

Naruto pondered the question for a moment, wondering whether he should tell her the truth, lie, or just refuse to answer/ignore the question. He opted for the latter.

"I am under no obligation to answer that question." Naruto replied as he turned around, dispelling his clones, and began to walk away, only for her teammate to get in front of him to ask his own question.

"Excuse me, but would you mind helping me with my taijutsu training?" The spandex-clad teen asked, honestly wanting the help.

"I guess, but wouldn't your teammates or your sensei be better for something like that? I mean I _just_ passed the grad exam, so how exactly could I help you?" Naruto asked, feigning a lack of skill. He silently cursed himself for boasting about his Kage Bunshin.

_**"It's your own fault Kit."**_ The Kyubi said. It had been fairly quiet recently, even during their mental training sessions he was a bit more reserved. It always did hate the week of a full moon for some reason.

"I'm asking you because I wish test my skills against several opponents at once, and with your display of skill at such an advance clone jutsu you would be the perfect sparring partner." He explained, bowing respectfully.

Naruto was confused, he had never been treated so respectfully before. He had been treated with hate, violence, pity, condecension, disdain, loathing, and, from a few people, kindness. No one had ever really shown him respect before. He suddenly realized something.

"You two don't have a clue who I am, do you?" Naruto said. It wasn't really a question, more of an observation. The two shinobi looked at each other before they answered in stereo.

"No." They said.

"Should we?" Tenten asked curiously. Naruto chuckled in response.

"You probably know _of_ me." Naruto replied. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the dead last that painted the Hokage monument and escaped the Anbu while carrying a can of paint and wearing an orange eyesore that a blind man would criticize...twice." Naruto replied, getting looks of shock and recognition from the two of them before Tenten spoke.

"That was you!?" Tenten asked, shocked.

"Yep!" Naruto said, enjoying the gaping looks the two of them were giving him.

"Do not worry Naruto-san! Even so-called dead lasts like us can become splendid shinobi, true geniuses of hard work!" The boy shouted, tears streaming from his eyes...that were on fire...somehow.

"I appreciate the vote of confidence, thanks...umm..." Naruto trailed off, realizing he had never gotten the boy's name.

"I am Rock Lee. Shall we spar Naruto-kun?" Lee asked.

"Sure, let's see what you've got, one-on-one!" Naruto replied, taking the upper stance for his signature **Kitsune no Ken (Fox Fist)** taijutsu style. His peculiar stance, knees bent, body leaned forward, hands halfway between open palms and closed fists and leading with his left side, earned him a curious look from Lee, who couldn't help but ask.

"Naruto-kun, may I ask what style that is?" Lee questioned as he slid into his own stance, leading with his right side, hand bent at the elbow and pointing in his direction, palm held face-up.

"It's my own personal style, the **Kitsune no Ken**." Naruto replied, seeing no harm in answering the question. "Don't worry if you've never heard of it, I'm pretty sure I'm the only practicioner. I am it's creator after all." He continued, getting a surprised look from the two of them.

It was clear that Tenten thought that he was going to get creamed in one-on-one combat, but Lee only seemed to smile.

After about five seconds of waiting, Naruto quickly rushed Lee at a speed that was at least mid-chunin level, causing the spandex-wearing teen to step back and defend himself with quick, precise blocks and well-timed dodges before he quickly adjusted to the rapid pace of combat and quickly caught one of Naruto's kicks before sweeping his remaining leg out from under him. Forty-seven seconds have passed since Naruto made his first move

_"He's a lot better than I expected, but he still couldn't even last a minute before Lee knocked him on his ass."_ Tenten thought as she observed the spar between her teammate and Konoha's most infamous prankster. Her thoughts were interupted when she saw how Naruto used the sweep to score a solid hit on Lee.

While he was suspended in the air, Naruto used Lee's grip on his leg to pull himself towards his opponent, delivering a headbut right to the genin's forehead, crude yet effective, before following up with a punch to the jaw before landing back on his feet. He hadn't fallen yet.

"So, we going for points or do you just want to enjoy a good fight?" Naruto asked excitedly, not looking the slightest bit dazed from the double-edged sword known as the headbut. Lee on the other hand needed a moment to get his bearings before he replied.

"I must say Naruto-kun, your taijutsu is raw and unrefined, but it is very effective." Lee said as he re-took his stance. "As for your question, I am content with a simple spar, but I must ask why you do not use any ninjutsu or genjutsu?" Lee continued.

"I wanted to test my taijutsu in actual combat before I bust out any ninjutsu, first and foremost, but as for genjutsu, I can't use any." Naruto replied before he rushed Lee again, though it was much more even now.

The fight went back and forth. Lee was superior in speed, strength, and, most notably, skill. The difference in strength was fairly noticable, as Lee overpowered Naruto whenever they locked into a grapple or pushed against each other, but Naruto's dexterity allowed him to outmaneuver Lee in ways that the bushy-browed boy didn't anticipate.

The difference in speed was marginal enough that they seemed to be dead-even at times, but Naruto's movements were erratic and unpredictable, leaving Lee unable to fully keep track of him.

After over twenty minutes of relatively even fighting, with the two of them only giving and recieving glancing blows, Naruto scored a solid hit on Lee, nailing him in the jaw again.

Before Naruto could follow up, he felt a sudden impact on the bottom of his chin before he realized he was floating in the air. He could see Lee floating behind him in his peripheral vision, follow his trajectory like a shadow.

"**Kage Buyo: Odayakana Hasu (Shadow of the Dancing Leaf: Gentle Lotus)!**" Lee said as he grabbed Naruto's collar and hurled him into the ground, cracking it, before landing on top of the blond and delivering a gravity-assisted knee to the gut. Lee quickly jumped off of him to ensure he could breathe

"Aughk!" Naruto coughed as he felt the air leave his body, along with a small amount of spittle. "*cough-cough*! ...Man Lee, that was painful." The blond said as he slowly and painfully got to his feet.

"I am sorry Naruto-san, I got carried away and-" Lee tried to apologize until Naruto cut him off, laughing.

"Hahaha! What are you sorry for? Do you know what it takes to get me to wince? An average chunin would say 'uncle' before I do anything more than hiss in pain! To make me admit that something hurt it would leave a chunin limping all the way home, if not completely unconcious!" Naruto explained/ranted before going into another fit of laughter.

Lee and Tenten were stunned by his behavior until the kunoichi of the two spoke up.

"What kind of genin are you!? Most chunin can't get up from Lee's Lotus techniques without help and you just say 'congrats' and brush it off like it's nothing!?" Tenten yelled/vented/demanded.

Naruto looked at her for a moment before replying. "Yep!" He said, grinning. Tenten seemed ready to throttle him while Lee seemed to be in awe.

"What kind of kid your age has a pain threshold like that when they haven't even met their jonin-sensei yet!?" Tenten demanded.

"The awesome kind." Naruto replied cheekily, giving her another grin as he stretched. Tenten was about to strangle the blond until she noticed something peculiar.

He had just fought with Lee for almost half an hour straight and didn't seem winded in the slightest while Lee was still breathing rather heavily, and he was reknowned for his impressive stamina...at least among their graduating class.

"You have a lot of stamina too." Tenten said.

"Thanks Tenten-chan, I could go all night long and still have enough energy left for another round!" Naruto boasted before he realized how that sounded. The blond was about to apologise and head for the hills in order to escape the beating he thought was coming, but then he noticed that Tenten was blushing and seemed more mortified than angry and Lee...it seemed like the double meaning went right over his head.

"...That came out wrong, but I'd be lying if I said I was sorry." Naruto said after a moment of awkward silence.

"P-Pervert!" Tenten yelled as she pulled out a kunai and took aim.

_There's_ the kunoichi rage he was expecting. As the blond ran out of the forest dodging kunai and shuriken, he only had one thought.

_"Worth it!"_

**Omake: Praise the Log**

_Later That Afternoon_

Naruto entered a small clearing, wearing a dark brown cloak embroidered with a pattern that greatly resembled the bark of a tree. He was flanked by four others wearing identicle cloaks.

"What is your confession my brother of faith?" A man in an identicle cloak asked, although he wore a large log-themed hat instead of wearing his cloak's hood.

"Forgive me Father, for I have abused the power of the log. Earlier today, I used the **Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body-Replacement Jutsu)** to avoid a single kunai that I could have simply dodged. I acted on instinct, but I must make amends." Naruto declared solemnly.

"You know the path to forgiveness my brother." The man replied, his tone fitting for some one of his position.

"Yes Father, 'For every stab wound caused by your replacement, you shall plant five saplings' so sayeth the Book of Log." Naruto answered as he took out a small bag of seeds. One of the cloaked figures wordlessly offered him a trowel, but the young blond waved him off.

"No brother, I shall dig with my hands in order to pay the proper respect to the Great Log." He said as he dug five small holes and planted the seeds inside. Once they had been properly planted, he watered each of them in the hopes that they would grow to become honorable logs, like their ancestors before them.

"It is done. Remember my brother, so long as you respect and honor the log, it shall never forsake you." The man in the log hat declared.

"Thank you...Log Pope."

**AN: Please review and let me know what's good, what's bad, and ways I can improve. I do not have spellcheck so feel free to point out errors. **

**There is a Naruto fanfic based on log worship and a facebook page dedicated to the same, I implore you...honor the Log, it shall never forsake you!**

**PS, I will not respond to reviews in-story, please PM me if you have questions.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ch. 4**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did it would never have gotten off the ground**

**If you want good Naruto Fanfiction, find ****Kenchi618**** (Search authors on Fanfiction)the best writer I've seen!**

_The Next Morning, With Naruto_

Naruto was headed towards the same clearing where he had met Lee and Tenten with the intention of having another sparring session with the eccentric teen.

What he _didn't_ expect was to find an adult version of his new friend and a long-haired Hyuga male training with them.

"Lee, when will you learn that you will never defeat me?" The Hyuga asked, nearly unscathed despite Lee being on the ground and panting, evidence of a recent spar. "I was destined to be a prodigy, and you were destined to be a failure. Those are the hands we were dealt on the day we were born, there is no changing that." He continued in a highly condecending manner.

"I see Hinata really is the black sheep of her clan." Naruto interjected, a goofy grin on his face as he approached his two friends and the strangers with them. His comment obviosly angered the arrogant teen, if the Byakugan-enhanced glare was any indication.

"I'm sorry, did you say something commonor?" He asked venomously.

"I said 'I see Hinata really is the black sheep of her clan' do those magic eyes of yours weaken your ears as a trade-off?" Naruto asked cockily. Before Neji could reply, or attack, The adult Lee-look-alike stepped in and spoke in a very enthusiastic tone.

"I see your flames of youth burn brightly young one, but you do not fan them properly. Allow me to-" The man said before he was cut off by the blond.

"I'm not really interested in the whole 'flames of youth' thing, I just came here to see if Lee wanted to spar again." Naruto interjected. It was then that the man took a closer look at Naruto and his eyes widened for a moment before they returned to normal.

_**"Another human who knows your secret...I am officially the worst-kept secret in Konoha!"**_ Kyubi ranted in Naruto's mind, upset for some reason.

"So your the dead last that Lee claimed was 'an amazing fighter, even with only taijutsu'?" The Hyuga asked, a superior smirk on his face.

"...I'm sorry, did you say something Hyuga-san?" Naruto asked innocently, getting a giggle from Tenten, a glare from the Hyuga, and a shocked look from the grown man with a bowl-cut, who was copied perfectly by his mini-me that was Rock Lee.

"Why you little-" The Hyuga snarled before Naruto cut him off.

"The key to starting a fight without getting in trouble is to goad the other guy into throwing the first punch." Naruto said smugly, grinning at the Hyuga before winking at Tenten. He recieved a light blush in return before she quickly turned away.

Guy noticed the exchange but said nothing, while Lee seemed to be completely clueless. Neji was too busy seething to care. The Hyuga wanted to strike him oh so badly, but he knew that he would, somehow, be playing right into the blond's hands.

"So, how bout it Lee? You up for a spar?" Naruto asked, completely turning away from the Hyuga as he adressed the spandex-wearing teen. Before Lee could reply, the Hyuga spoke up.

"Why not fight me? You obviously dislike me, so why not fight me like the simpleton you are?" He asked.

"What's your name? I'm tired of refering to you as 'the Hyuga' in my thoughts." Naruto replied. The brown-haired boy smirked.

"My name is Hyuga Neji. You are?" Neji replied.

"Uzumaki Naruto, the dead-last that painted the Hokage monument in broad daylight wearing an orange eyesore...twice." Naruto said plainly, a smile on his whiskered face.

"That was you?" Neji asked, a look of sheer surprise on his face as he momentarily forgot his anger.

"Yup!" Naruto chirped, giving Neji his trademark grin.

"I see...you're not just a simpleton, you're a childish fool as well." Neji said smugly, a look of superiority spreading across his face.

"Good!" Naruto replied, surprising everyone. "That's the image I was going for in the academy." If they were surprised before, they were completely confused now.

"Excuse me Naruto-kun, but what do you mean by that?" Lee asked.

"When you're a prodigy, everyone expects great things from you and no one is surprised or really interested when you do something incredible." Naruto explained. "They just say '_he's a genius, he's obligated to be incredible_'. But everyone loves the underdog that shatters his limitations and claws his way to greatness." He continued. "That's half of the reason. The other half was to see how good the teachers were at telling when a student was hiding their true skills, like with Shino and Shikamaru. I had a pattern whenever I took written tests of any kind. I got the first two questions right and then I correctly answered every other question so I barely passed. For six years I used that pattern, not once did anyone seem to notice. The only test I ever actually failed was an exam filled with three rows of multiple choice questions, and that was because I filled in the bubbles to spell 'Hi!' if you looked from the right angle. No one said anything." Naruto finished, surprising those present.

Eventually, Neji snorted.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! A failure is a failure, and you are destined to live as one, just like Lee." Neji said, completely convinced of his own preachings. Naruto simply stared at him.

"Alright Neji, I'll play your game. Let's pretend I believe that a person has one specific destiny, and that one cannot escape it." Naruto said.

"Even if I belived everyone has a destiny, I would still have several ways to make you reconsider your view of Lee and myself. First; How do you know what a person's destiny is? Second; just because someone is weak now, doesn't mean they are destined to be weak forever, they could be destined to unlock their true potential later in life, or perhaps they will have a key part to play that acts as a catalyst to major events some point in the future. Third; If destiny is real, why are you so angry that people want to fight it? Are you afraid that they will overcome their so-called destiny and shatter everything you percieve to be real?" Naruto continued, with Neji's rage and fear building with every sentence until he was trembling.

"My beliefs on this subject can be summed up rather simply. Fate may be real, in which case fighting it would change nothing, but it could also be a lie, and you could potentially pass up an opportunity for happiness by yielding to a force that does not exist." The blond finished.

The clearing was silent, even the wind had stopped as if to listen to his words. Everything was still, even the shinobi seemed to have stopped breathing for this moment that seemed to last an eternity.

"So Lee, how 'bout that spar? Tenten, you wanna use my **Kage Bunshin** for target practice?" Naruto asked, his moment of wisdom completely eclipsed by his childish ruse.

"I am sorry, Naruto-kun, but I have just been through a rather taxing spar with my eternal rival, and must rest to rekindle my flames of YOUTH!" The eccentric teen declared.

"...Riiight...Tenten-chan? You wanna test your luck against moving targets that you're free to skewer to your heart's content?" Naruto replied.

Tenten bit her lip in thought. There was a hint of challenge in his words, that much was obvious. She really wanted to, but it was supposed to be today was their scheduled team training session, she was also a bit unsure of being alone with him after his little remark about his impressive stamina. Well, it was more that he realized how it sounded and more or less used the unfortunate wording to hit on her.

"Lets make a wager; I'll make twenty clones and if you can pop more than half of them in ninety seconds or less...well, I'll do anything you want. If I win; then you have to tell me your most embaressing moment in the academy!" Naruto said, trying to goad her into accepting.

"Alright, if I win you have by all your weapons and equipment from my dad's shop from now until the day you die." Tenten replied, a strange gleam in her eye.

Naruto blinked. "Your dad owns a weapons shop? If I had known that I would have went there yesterday to replace all these throwaway kunai and shuriken I scrounged up!" Naruto ranted, causing Tenten to blink before she reprimanded him, as was her duty as a weaponsmistress and blacksmith.

"You mean you're using weapons you found in the trash and at training grounds!? What the hell is wrong with you!? Are you poor or are you just that cheap!?" The kunoichi yelled.

"It's not my fault people overcharge me for everything!" Naruto snapped before he mentally slapped himself for letting that fact slip.

Maybe years of acting like an idiot was slowly turning him into one.

"What do you mean Naruto-kun?" Tenten asked curiously, concern evident in her tone. Naruto saw a way out of this conversation and by Kami he was going to take it!

"So it's Naruto-_kun_ now is it? When did this happen?" Naruto asked teasingly, getting a blush out of Tenten before she started throwing weapons at him...mostly kunai.

"Get back here Naruto! Take your punishment like a man!" Tenten shouted.

"Sorry Tenten, I'm not into the kinky stuff!" Naruto replied, cackling as he ran off into the woods with Tenten chasing him, kunai in hand and blush on her face.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" She yelled.

"I know, but it was _right there_!" He replied, chuckling as he lead her to an interesting spot he had found.

As Tenten burst through the trees to skewer the strangely stealthy, orange-clad blond, she found a small waterfall that fed into a steaming pool of water.

"Is this-" She started to wonder but was cut off by a certain irritating blond.

"A naturally formed hot-spring? Yes, yes it is." Naruto said, walking up next to her wearing nothing but swimming trunks and carrying a towel.

"I found it a few years ago when I was looking for a spot to train where no one would find me. The waterfall is freezing cold and the spring itself is just short of boiling, between those two water sources its the perfect temperature to relax in and it also produces a generous amount of steam so people can't spot you from a distance." The whiskered boy continued.

"Are you trying to convince me too get in the hot-springs with you?" Tenten asked accusingly.

"...Is it working?" Naruto asked in response, a small smirk on his face. Tenten couldn't help but give a small smirk of her own.

"A little...I might join you if I had a swimsuit...but I don't and I'm sure you wouldn't want to see me naked so-" Tenten started, but she was cut off.

"I was going to offer you a pair of trunks and some wrappings, but it's fine if you wanna join me in your birthday suit." Naruto replied casually, handing her the aforementioned items as he walked to the spring and lowered himself into the water. "Don't worry, I may be a pervert but I'm not a peeping tom." Naruto assured her as he turned away and sank into the water until it reached his chin.

"Wow, you're a bold one aren't you?" Tenten asked, not expecting a reply.

"No, I just know better than most that there is no such thing as being to young to die." Naruto answered as he leaned back in the hot-spring and closed his eyes, a look of pure relaxation on his face.

Tenten just gaped at him, not that he could see it, before asking him what he meant.

"What are you talking about Naruto-kun?" the weaponsmistress asked.

Naruto, completely and utterly distracted by the relaxing hot-springs, answered the question quickly and honestly without a moment's thought.

"I've been the village punching bag since I was three, being chased out of stores, glared at, called a fream or a demon or a monster. The emotional abuse has gone on for as long as I can remember. It wasn't until I was three that people started throwing things at me and kicking me away if I got too close." Naruto explained sleepily, as though he wasn't even aware of what he was saying.

"That all changed on my fifth birthday. I was born on October tenth twelve years ago, the day the kyubi attacked, and when I was five a bunch of people that had been grinking their sorrows away saw me and started harassing me. When I tried to run, they chased me down and beat me into a coma. They would have killed me if the Anbu hadn't stepped in and brought me to the hospital." The young blond continued, his voice less casual.

"I woke up three days later, covered in bruises and some of my bones were still cracked, if not outright broken, and then they kicked me out. When I asked why they wouldn't help me anymore they just said _"you'll live"_. After that I had to run whenever I saw people that came out of a bar or whenever I saw a group of adults gathered together. On my sixth birthday, another mob went after me, but this time they hunted me down while I was walking to my favorite restaurant, the only one that didn't kick me out or overcharge me ore even look at me funny." Naruto continued, his voice no longer sleepy and now filled with pain and rage as he told Tenten of his childhood.

He was so distracted that he didn't even notice the kunoichi slipping into the hot-springs as he spoke.

"I had gotten faster than most kids my age, even ones in the academy, just by running from people that hated me. I ran for over two hours before I tried hiding. I ducked into an alley and hid under a tarp as I waited for them to leave, but one of them found me and ripped off the tarp. They all started beating me like they did last time, and I was almost unconcious before...before I finally fought back. It was all a blur, I lunged at the one who found me, a ninja maybe a chunin, I bit and scratched at him before I started tearing into the others. I know they ran away and I somehow made it to my apartment before I passed out." Naruto concluded, tears threatening to fall from his eyes as he stared at his hands which were starting to become clawed.

Luckily Tenten wasn't looking at his hands, she was staring at his unshed tears as she suddenly pulled the blond into a tight embrace, shocking the young jinchuriki. Naruto didn't know why she did it, or if he should have let her get that close, but he did know one thing...

He was glad she did, and he was glad to finally have someone that _really_ knew him and what he had gone through. Naruto then started hugging her back, smiling, as he finally let the tears fall...tears he had been holding in since he was six.

"I've never been hugged before...thank you Tenten." Naruto said as he pulled away and wiped his tears.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun, I won't ever hurt you like that." Tenten said, a small smile on her face before she gave him a peck on the cheek.

"...What was that for?" Naruto asked, once he had gotten over his surprise.

"For being such a good person, even after everything that's happened to you." She replied, smiling. Naruto couldn't help but smile with her.

"Hey Tenten?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah?" Tenten asked, still hugging the blond.

"Could you not mention my little breakdown to anyone? I've got a reputation to uphold."

"Of course."

"And could you keep the hotsprings to yourself as well? I only show it to people I trust."

"Sure...how many people have you brought here?" Tenten replied, her tone becoming suspicious.

"Let's see...there's Teuchi-ojisan and Ayame-neechan, Iruka-sensei, Hokage-jiji, and now you." Naruto answered, a smile on his face.

"You have a sister?...And you call Hokage-sama 'jiji'!?" Tenten asked, shocked.

"No, Ayame-neechan is just really nice, like I expect an older sister to be...and yes, I do call the Hokage 'jiji (basically means 'grandpa')" Naruto answered, his trademark grin in place as though it had never left.

"So...about that wager on the kunai practice..." Tenten began.

"What about it Tenten-chan?"

"How 'bout we do that another time? This hot-spring is just-"

"I know, right? It's way better when it's natural as opposed to man-made. Yeah...the wager can wait."

"I also want to renegotiate a bit. If I win, you have to go to my dad's store for all your shinobi needs _and_ you have to help me with any training I want, so long as I'm not affecting your ninja career." Tenten said, a small smile of victory on her face as though she had already won.

"Alright, but if I win you have to tell me your most embarresing moment in the academy _and_ give me a-"

**AN: Please review and let me know what's good, what's bad, and ways I can improve. I do not have spellcheck so feel free to point out errors. **

**The result of this wager will be revealed in a future Omake, and yes, I am an asshole for cutting off every chapter on purpose. I'm not going to stop.**

**PS, I will not respond to reviews in-story, please PM me if you have questions.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ch. 5**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did it would never have gotten off the ground**

**If you want good Naruto Fanfiction, find ****Kenchi618**** (Search authors on Fanfiction)the best writer I've seen!**

_Konoha Academy, Naruto's Orientation_

"I win!" A pair of female voices shouted as they both tried to squeeze through the door at the same time. If one paid attention, they might have been able to hear the mental groan that came from every student already present.

As the two fangirls burst into the room, they rushed over to the object of their affections...only to find a certain orange-clad blond sitting next to him...reading a book?

"Move it Baka! I'm sitting next to Sasuke-kun!" the pink-haired fangirl screeched as she threw a punch to move the blond out of her way before he even had a chance to respond. The blow landed right on the back of Naruto's head...and her fist stopped as soon as it made contact with his skull, the boy's head not giving an inch.

Everyone was silent as they watched Naruto turn the page before he looked at the pink-haired girl that struck him as she cradled her now-injured hand.

"I'm sorry Haruno-san, did you say something?" Naruto asked as though he hadn't been yelled at or punched. The girl, Haruno Sakura, stared at him for a moment before regaining her voice.

"I said move it Baka! I'm sitting next to Sasuke-kun!" She screeched, only this time the blond girl next to her spoke up.

"As if Forehead! I'm sitting next to Sasuke-kun!" Before their argument could escalate, they heard Naruto speak.

"First; their's another open seat." Naruto said, his tone essentially saying they were idiots. "Second; You two and every other girl in this room, save Hinata-san, claim that you love Uchiha-san, or that you're his soulmate, but do any of you know anything about him that isn't common knowledge? Have any of you even had an actual conversation with him? And before you ask; you talking while he says _"Hn"_ doesn't count."

Everyone in the room was stunned. Naruto was being calm, insulting, logical, and condescending. He had never acted like that before in their presence, most of the students didn't think he _could_ act like that. Even Sasuke in all his gloomy glory looked at the blond with surprise visible on his face.

The fangirl population was mostly disheartened. The exceptions were, of course, Ino and Sakura.

"It doesn't matter if I talk to him or not! What matters is that I love him!" The two of them shouted in unison. Naruto smirked.

"If you love him so much, then what's his favorite color?" Naruto challenged. The two girls paled.

"Black/Blue!" Sakura and Ino answered, respectively.

"It's silver." Naruto said plainly, shocking the class.

"How'd you know that Dobe?" The normally silent Uchiha asked, unable to contain his curiousity.

"Wait, I was right? I just took a shot in the dark!" Naruto exclaimed, completely honest, causing the entire class to face-fault. The only one who didn't face-fault was Sasuke, burst out laughing.

"Hahahahahah! Seriously!? You guessed!? Hahahaha!" The Uchiha prodigy laughed, nearly falling out of his seat before he regained his composure, though he still had a small smile on his face and let out the occasional snigger. It was then that Umino Iruka entered the room.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone. I was going over everyone's grades, skills and social interactions in order to figure out the best team placements for everyone. I have discovered that some of you are more skilled than you let on, which is why I did what I did. So, your new team placements will be as follows." The chunin said, hinting at Naruto's performance against Mizuki, before he continued.

"I have decided that these teams would be the most sucessful in a 'jack of all trades' kind of way. No team is especially suited to any one task, alloing for greater versatility in the field." Iruka began listing the teams and Naruto simply tuned it out until he heard names that were familiar.

"Team seven; Hyuga Hinata, Akimichi Choji, and Uchiha Sasuke." Iruka called, before continuing down the list. "Team eight; Yamanaka Ino, Inuzuka Kiba, and Uzumaki Naruto." Iruka continued, the next team was no one Naruto recognized.

"Last team, team ten; Haruno Sakura, Aburame Shino, and Nara Shikamaru. Now, if anyone has any questions feel free to-" Iruka was cut off by an onslaught of complaints and demands to switch teams.

Iruka tried to use his giant-head yelling jutsu thing but even that was drowned out by the students. It was something no teacher could possibly be trained to deal with, and at least five people remained silent.

Finally, two beings had had enough and restored order to plane of existance filled with chaos.

**"SHUT UP!"** Naruto and Kyubi yelled. Their combined shout rattled the entire classroom and cracked the windows, but it also silenced the angry students.

After a moment of silence, Naruto spoke again. "Good. Now that I have your attention, I will explain the reasonings behind teams seven, eight, and ten. Team seven is fairly easy to comprehend. First; Hinata-san is the only kunoichi here that could possibly be trusted not to fawn over Uchiha-san at every waking moment. Second; Akimich-san is intended to be the tank of the team, as his clan's jutsu are devastating if they hit you and can help one shrug off damage as well. Finally; Uchiha-san is intended to be the ninjutsu specialist and probably acting squad-leader should the need arise." Naruto explained, getting looks of surprise from most and one of pride from Iruka.

"For my team, Inuzuka-san is the intended taijutsu expert and more than likely the first one to strike. Yamanaka-san will be distance support with thrown weapons and her clan's array of mind-based ninjutsu. I...have no idea what my role is, I guess they just got the short end of the stick." Naruto said, getting a laugh from the bulk of the class and even a smirk from the Uchiha.

"Team ten is fairly simple; Haruno-san's role will be similar to Yamanaka-san's, probably supplemented with genjutsu due to her chakra control, Nara-san is to capture and restrain opponents with his clan's jutsu while Aburame-san drains their chakra with his kikaichu. Did I say that right?" Naruto finished, addressing the last bit to Shino, who nodded.

Everyone was, for the umpteenth time, at a loss for words regarding Naruto's new attitude and intelligence that seemingly poppud up overnight. Sakura was a bit surprised by the way he had started calling her _"Haruno-san"_ as opposed to the usual _"Sakura-chan"_, and was also surprised at how respectfully she addressed Sasuke and the fact that Hinata was the only person that he adressed by their given name, even if it was still with the _"-san"_ at the end.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei, can you tell us who our jonin senseis are going to be?" Naruto asked.

"Sorry Naruto, I'm going to leave that as a surprise for you all." Iruka replied. "Although I can assure Sasuke that his sensei will be able to help him train his Sharingan when he awakens it."

That last bit surprised the class, as they didn't think that there was anyone who new enough about the Sharingan to really teach anyone how to use it. Except Naruto, who seemed to pity them.

"Ooohh...Sorry guys, you're training is more or less on you if _he's_ your sensei, the lazy-ass. Oh, you've also got a minimum of three hours before he shows up...starting when all the other teams are gone...you may wanna get lunch." Naruto said sympathetically, confusing the class.

"What are you talking about, Dobe?" Sasuke asked, his curiosity hidden by thin veil of arrogance.

"I _mean_ that your sensei is Hatake Kakashi, also known as _Sharingan no Kakashi_ and he's notorious for being late, being lazy, and reading smut-ahem, I'm sorry, _adult_ _literature_" Naruto put air-quotes on the last two words, "everywhere he goes." The blond explained.

"How do you know him, Naruto?" Choji asked, muching on his ever-present bag of chips as he spoke.

"I got hurt once when I was five and he brought me to the hospital to make sure I was okay. He's a good guy, but he drives people nuts, especially when he answers time-based questions in his reading way." Naruto replied.

"What's that mean?" The _"big-boned"_ boy asked.

"When he shows up late he usually reads until some one notices him. When they ask him when he got there, and they always do, he answers the question based on how much he's read since he showed up, something like "eleven sentences" usually means about a minute and a half to two minutes." The blond explained.

"Naruto, how do you know Kakashi?" Iruka asked.

"He helped me out once when I was little." Naruto replied, keeping the answer vague yet allowing Iruka to connect the dots since he knew some of the things that had happened to him.

"I see...well, everyone take some time to meet your new teammates and see if you can get along." Iruka said, easily guiding the subject away from Naruto's personal life.

Unfortuantely, Naruto's new teammates seemed pissed to be paired with him, so it didn't make things much better.

"Great, we got stuck with the dobe of the class!" Kiba said to Ino, obviously trying to annoy Naruto with the volume of his statement.

Naruto simply returned to reading his book, not taking the bait or even showing any indication that he heard the slight against him.

Kiba, obviously, took offense to being ignored by the dobe of the class.

"Hey, Uzumaki!...I'm talking to you!...Answer me dammit!" The Inuzuka shouted, his anger rising as Naruto refused to acknowlege him.

Finally, Naruto looked up. "I'm sorry, Inuzuka-san, did you say something?" Naruto asked, his face showing obviously sarcastic interest. Kiba lost it.

"You little runt! When I get my hands on you I'll tear you apart and stomp a mudhole in your ass before Akamaru takes his turn!" Kiba shouted, with said puppy giving a yip, followed by a growl, and drawing the attention of the entire class. Iruka probably would have reprimanded him if he hadn't already left.

"You shouldn't use such strong words, Inuzuka-san, it'll only make you look weak." Naruto replied casually before returning to his book.

"Oooohh!" The class chorused, causing Kiba to really lose it

"That's it! **Shikyaku no Jutsu (Four Legs Jutsu)! Tsuga (Passing Fang)!**" Kiba shouted before leaping at Naruto, spinning like a drill in mid-air.

Naruto didn't even bother looking up from his book, he just leaned to the side before Kiba hit, causing him to rip through the table and crash to the floor in a heap as Naruto straightened himself. Sasuke, however, flinched ever so slightly.

The entire class started murmuring things along the lines of "did you see that?"and "When did Naruto get so good/cool?". Naruto took a moment to enjoy the unwarrented praise before he spoke up.

"You guys know I can hear you, right?" Naruto asked rhetorically. Iruka returned before anyone could respond. He noticed Kiba on the floor and the missing chunk of Naruto's desk.

"He attacked Naruto and missed, didn't he?" Iruka asked, already heading back to his desk. He knew the answer.

"I didn't miss! Naruto dodged!" Kiba shouted as he got off the floor.

"I'm sorry to tell you this Inuzuka-san, but the definition of _miss_ is to not hit one's intended target. Even though your aim was dead on and you only missed beause I moved, it's still a miss." Naruto commented, further angering the hot-headed Inuzuka.

"Naruto, why must you antagonize him?" Iruka asked, not even bothering to stop them.

"Because it amuses me." Naruto answered as he turned the page.

Before Kiba or Iruka could react, a trio of genin walked through the door, genin that Naruto knew very well.

"Hey guys!" Naruto said, waving.

"Hey/hello Naruto-kun/san." Tenten, Lee and Neji replied as they walked into the classroom. They saw Kiba standing in a small crater and the missing chunk of Naruto's desk and quickly connected the dots.

"He attacked Naruto-kun and missed, didn't he?" Tenten said. it wasn't a question.

The bun-haired kunoichi simply walked past the Inuzuka and sat on Naruto's lap before kissing him deeply, stunning the entire class into submission as Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist. Even Neji and Lee showed no small amount of surprise at the bold act.

After nearly thirty seconds, Tenten pulled away with a smirk on her face that was mirrored by Naruto's.

"Wow Ten-chan, I didn't think you were one for public displays of affection." Naruto said, holding her tight as she leaned into him.

"I'm full of surprises Naruto-kun."Tenten purred.

Kiba was the first one to snap out of his shock and ask the question on everyone's minds.

"Naruto, who is that hot girl, how do you know her and why did she just kiss you!?" The Inuzuka asked/demanded. Before Naruto could respond, Tenten spoke up.

"First; my name is Tenten and thanks for the compliment. Second; I met Naruto when he wandered onto my teams training grounds. Third; I kissed him because he's my boyfriend. Anything else you want to know, Inuzuka-chan?" Tenten replied before getting out of Naruto's lap and walking over to Hinata's desk.

"A-ano, c-can I h-help y-y-you?" The Hyuga heiress stuttered, looking at the ground as she twiddled her fingers.

"So you're Hinata, huh? Naruto was right, you are different from the rest of your clan." Tenten said, a crestfallen look spreading across the Hyuga girl's face.

"Relax, that's a good thing! He also told me that you were pretty cute too." Tenten said, causing Hinata to look at Naruto and faint with a massive blush on her face.

"C'mon Ten-chan, why did you have to tell her that?" Naruto asked, knowing that the heiress had a huge crush on him. Well, the person he portrayed himself as.

"I wanted to see if she was really as shy as you said...you really sugarcoated it." The bun-haired kunoichi said.

"Yeah...I know." Naruto replied.

"Excuse me, I'm here to pick up team eight." A voice said as two people walked into the room, a bearded man and a red-eyed kunoichi with dark hair.

"Here!" Naruto, Kiba and Ino said, raising their hands.

"Alright, I'm your new sensei, Sarutobi Asuma." The bearded man said, his voice somehow unaffected by the cigarrette in his mouth.

**AN: Please review and let me know what's good, what's bad, and ways I can improve. I do not have spellcheck so feel free to point out errors. **

**I guess I did stop...for now**

**PS, I will not respond to reviews in-story, please PM me if you have questions.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ch. 6 **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did it would never have gotten off the ground**

**If you want good Naruto Fanfiction, find ****Kenchi618**** (Search authors on Fanfiction)the best writer I've seen!**

_Team eight's new training ground_

"Alright, here's the deal." Asuma said through the cigarrette in his mouth. "Even though you passed the graduation exam, you're not actually genin yet, you-"

"We have to take a hidden exam, created by you, to showcase our skills and flaws. From that demonstration of our abilities, you will either deem us as worthy genin or send our sorry asses back to the academy." Naruto finished, a bored look on his face as he laid on his back and stared at the clouds through the branches of their personal tree.

"...That's...correct." Asuma said, just as stunned as the _dobe's_ classmates. Of course, he didn't seem like the loser they had grown accustomed to, not anymore.

"Anyway, your test will simply be a one-one spar with the opponent of your choice, so go ahead and pick your opponent." The bearded jonin said as he took another hit of his cancer stick. The result was nearly instantaneous.

"Naruto!" Both Kiba and Ino yelled, standing up and pointing at the blond who didn't even seem to be paying attention to them.

"Well Naruto, who do you wanna fight?" Asuma asked, amused at the reactions of his new squad.

"I'm not sure, hang on." Naruto said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin that he proceeded to flip in the air before catching it in his left palm and placing it on the back of his right hand.

"Ino-san, heads or tails?" Naruto asked.

"Uh, heads?" Ino asked, confused. Naruto removed his hand from the coin, revealing it was indeed heads.

"Oh well, I guess I'll have to settle." Naruto mumbled. "Alright, both of you come at me!" Naruto said as he sprung up from his spot on the ground, not taking a fighting stance. Everyone else was confused.

"Huh?" Kiba asked. "I thought you flipped the coin to choose which of us you wanted to fight!" Kiba shouted.

"No, it was to decide if I was going to kick your asses or try my luck against Sarutobi-san." Naruto replied as he stretched, not even bothering to act as if he was in any danger. He wasn't that sporting.

"You got lucky in the academy! There's no way you can take all three of us at once!" Kiba yelled as he dropped to all fours, his body glowing with chakra.

"Kiba's right! You're just the dobe!" Ino added as she placed her hands in a peculiar hand-seal.

**"Tsuga(Passing Fang)/Shintenshin no Jutsu(Mind-Body Transfer Jutsu)!"** The two genin-hopefuls shouted in unison, each hoping to nail him with their own attack.

Naruto simply turned towards Kiba and flashed through hand-seals **"Kawarimi no Jutsu(Body-Replacement Jutsu)!"**

Instead of substituting with an inanimate object, Naruto switched with Ino, who was completely helpless against the strategy. Ino's jutsu ended up hitting Kiba, causing him to stop spinning as Ino took over his conciousness.

This in turn caused Ino to crash into her own body while she tumbled through the air in Kiba's body, knocking both their heads into the tree, rendering them unconcious.

A double knockout...with the kawarimi...kawarimi for the win.

"Damn...that went better than I could have hoped." Naruto said, surprised...before he burst out laughing. "Hahahahahahaha!"

As Sarutobi Asuma stared at the unconcious genin, he couldn't help but laugh along with his new student.

_Thirty minutes later, same spot_

"Guys?...Guys, you okay?" Naruto asked as he shook his new teammates awake.

"Ugh...what happened?" Kiba and Ino asked in unison as the rubbed their heads and looked at the last person they remember seeing before passing out.

"Naruto caused you two to knock yourselves out with a very impressive use of the **Kawarimi**." Asuma answered, eating a hot bowl of what seemed to be ramen. Ino and Kiba's stomachs growled at the thought of food. Their minds suddenly caught up with what had been said.

"Naruto beat both of us!? At the same time!?" The Inuzuka/Yamanaka duo demanded.

"Yeah, I did. Do you guys want some ramen?" Naruto asked, pulling two medium-sized bowls out of a storage scroll, followed by a noticably smaller one.

Confused, the two genin accepted the bowls and chopsticks while Naruto placed the smaller bowl in front of Akamaru, scratching the dog's head affectionately as it ate the dish with gusto.

Kiba and Ino followed the nin-ken's lead and found it was the best ramen they had ever had.

"Mmm, this is good Naruto! where did you get this stuff?" Ino asked as she swallowed a mouthful of ramen before digging in like Kiba.

"I got it from Ramen Ichiraku, the best ramen restaraunt in the village, possibly the Elemental Nations."The blond replied as he dug into his own bowl of the sacred noodles. "Haven't you guys ever been there?" Naruto asked.

"No." Ino and Kiba answered simultaneously, getting a look of surprise from Naruto.

"I know I never see anyone but Iruka-sensei eat there besides me, but seriously? You guys really missed out. Good thing I'm your teammate, otherwise you may never have discovered the perfection that is Ramen Ichiraku." Naruto replied as he finished off his bowl.

"Don't worry, you guys made genin too. None of us are going back to the academy." He continued.

"Sweet!" Kiba replied, not really caring how or why.

"Wait, what? How did we pass? All we did was get knocked out by the dobe!" Ino demanded, causing Naruto to smirk at her before looking at Asuma.

"Tell her sensei." The be-whiskered boy said, grinning.

"This _dobe_, as you called him, vouched for you. His word is the only thing that kept you two from being sent back to the academy for another year." Asuma said, a hint of amusement in his voice as he spoke and saw their reactions.

Shock, confusion, gratitude, and shame...priceless.

"Don't bother thanking me, I'm going to make you guys admit it in front of our classmates at some point. That, and I get a sort of guilty pleasure at knowing I'm the only reason you two passed."Naruto said, enjoying the way their faces paled at the thought of admitting that fact to their graduating class.

"If it makes you guys feel any better, I'm getting back at everyone else that insulted me too." Naruto said as a grin spread across his face. While scary to think about, they felt a little better that it wouldn't be just them that he would be targeting.

"Isn't that everyone?" Kiba asked, confused.

"No, I'm getting back at the people who insulted me, not the people who laughed at me. If it was people who laughed at me, only Hinata-san and Aburame-san would be spared." Naruto explained. "The people who never insulted me consist of Akimichi-san, Nara-san, Aburame-san, Hinata-san...yeah that's it, I can count them all on one hand." Naruto continued, holding up four fingers for emphasis.

"Your group dynamics are entertaining and all, but we should probably get a move-on if we want to get any missions done today." Asuma interjected, failing to stop his lip from twitching in a phantom grin.

"Alright! We're gonna do some cool ninja stuff!"Kiba shouted. Naruto had slipped over to Asuma's side during the outburst of the young Inuzuka.

"Poor Kiba, he'll learn what new genin like us do for their first missions." Naruto said, not bothering to hide his smirk at all as he whispered to his new sensei who couldn't help but chuckle.

_Three and a half hours later_

"I can't believe it," Kiba groaned as they headed back to the mission hand-out station. "we're ninja and they've got us doing housework and chores."

"I know, and that dog got my outfit covered in mud!" Ino complained. When they didn't hear their other teammate complaining along with them, they turned to look at him questioningly.

They saw that he didn't have so much as a hair out of place, and there was a satisfied smirk on his face...unintentional rhyme.

"You...You KNEW!" Ino yelled, pointing at her fellow blond as she seethed in rage.

"Yes...yes I did." Naruto replied, his smirk turning into a shit-eating grin as he went to collect his pay from the Hokage, who just so happened to be working there at the moment. "Hey Jiji, I'm here for my pay!" Naruto said brightly, holding out his hand.

"I must say Naruto-kun, over thirty D-ranks in a day is an impressive record!" Hiruzen replied as he handed his favorite genin his pay for the latest mission he had completed. "Your shadow clones dropped off the rest of your pay at your apartment, and Shikamaru was grateful that you sent a group of clones to relieve him from working as well." The old man continued.

"It's no big deal, he was one of the good ones in my class and I plan to pay them all back for their kindness." Naruto replied as he placed his money in his frog wallet.

"Wait, what? Naruto did over thirty D-ranks today? How!? We were with him the whole time!" Kiba ranted, before a second Naruto appeared in a plume of smoke and flicked the Inuzuka on the nose.

"Kage Bunshin, useful for all your daily needs, combat-oriented or otherwise!" Naruto exclaimed as his clone dispersed, leaving a stunned Kiba and Ino. "I officially have enough money to eat at Ichiraku's three times a day for at least two months and still be able to make rent with money left over." Naruto said, happy at how things turned out.

"And it's not even seven o'clock." Asuma commented as he looked at the clock.

"So do I get some kind of award or at least a public record for 'most productive genin' or something?" Naruto asked, honestly curious about if he'd get some kind of bragging rights.

He may not be an idiot, but he was still Uzumaki Naruto.

"Actually Hokage-sama, having a genin-of-the-month isn't a bad idea. It could inspire the genin to do as many missions as possible and improve their skills to earn recognition." Iruka suggested. "Of course, we'll have to exempt the use of Kage Bunshin and the like for the official contest, but I still think it's a good idea."

"I second that, even if I can't use Kage Bunshin." Naruto said, raising his hand. "Guys?" Ino and Kiba raised their hands as well, seeing as they had as much of a chance of winning as anyone else, probably more so with Naruto on their team...

_"I can't believe I just thought that!"_ Ino and Kiba thought in unison. Even though he had already proven otherwise, Naruto was still labeled as the dobe of the class and it was an impression that was hard to get rid of.

"Very well, I'll run the idea by the council and see if they can implement it anytime soon." Hiruzen said. He had enough paperwork as it is.

"Just mention that Sasuke could win, they'll make it priority number one." Naruto said as he turned around to go...somewhere, he didn't have any plans. "Hey guys, how 'bout we got Ichiraku's, my treat!" The orange-clad blond offered. Kiba and Akamaru actually drooled at the offer while Ino and Asuma visibly brightened at the idea.

"Sweet! Thanks Naruto, you're the best!" Kiba said excitedly, with Akamaru barking in aggreement.

"Do you know if they have any diet foods?" Ino asked. "I need to keep my figure for Sasuke-kun!" She swooned as she said his name, clearly fantasizing about her _"Soulmate" _as they walked towards the ramen shop.

"You know, admiration is the emotion furthest from comprehension."Naruto commented, getting a confused look from his fellow blond.

"What are you saying? Are you saying that I don't understand Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked, getting angry once the words sank in.

"Yes." Naruto answered bluntly, getting a stunned look from the Yamanaka. "You praise and admire him, you declare you are in love with him, but you don't understand him. Few people can, considering what he went through." The be-whiskered blond continued, his voice becoming strangely calm. "Only those who know loneliness themselves can hope to understand someone who has felt that kind of pain." He finished as they reached the miracle restaurant.

"Hey Naru-kun/Hello Naruto-kun/-san." Tenten, Lee, and Neji said as they saw the blond walk in with his team.

"Hey Ten-chan, Lee-kun, Neji-san!" Naruto said as he sat next to his girlfriend that happened to be sitting on the edge of her team, with Lee in the middle and Neji at the other end. "Teuchi-ojisan, one large, miso ramen with extra fishcakes please." Naruto said after giving Tenten a peck on the cheek.

"Got it Fishcake!" The old chef called from the back, laughing as he did so. His response got the others to laugh as well, seeing as Naruto seemed a bit miffed about the quip.

"It means Maelstrom dammit!" Naruto protested before immediately calming down. It happened too often to really be bothered by it.

"Ino-san, there is a vegetable ramen if you're worried about your weight, but I don't believe there's any ramen that are really _meant_ for dieting. Ayame-neechan, is there any diet ramen?" Naruto said, responding to her earlier question.

"Sorry Naruto-kun, we don't have anything like that. Your friend looks like she could use a little more meat on her bones anyway." The waitress replied.

"Naruto! How do you know so many hot women!?" Kiba demanded, startling most of the people in the ramen stand.

"Well, I met Tenten when she almost killed me with a kunai," Tenten looked a bit sheepish at the reminder, "I know Ayame-neechan because she works at the only restaurant that didn't try and throw me out," Tenten and Ayame's eyes twitched at that, "and your sister helped a small rabbit I found in the woods once." He finished, earning a glare from Kiba and a snicker from the rest of the group, sans Lee.

"My sister isn't hot!" Kiba yelled. He suddenly felt a shiver go up his spine.

"You know Hana-san is going to kill you for that, right?" Naruto asked, getting a dejected nod from Kiba.

"I know, I can fell it in my bones...and my head." Kiba replied, rubbing his head in an attempt to dull the phantom pains of past beatings.

"I think I'll have a medium veggie ramen." Ino decided, completely indifferent to Kiba's plight.

"Alright...Kiba, what would you and Akamaru like?" Ayame replied, causing Kiba to perk up at the prospect of ramen.

"Large pork ramen for me, and a small beef for Akamaru!" The Inuzuka replied happily, his partner wagging his tail in anticipation.

"Got it, they'll be ready soon." Ayame said before heading into the kitchen.

"Choji, why did you bring me here?" A disgruntled voice asked. It was a voice that team eight knew very well, despite the fact that it was rarely heard.

"C'mon Sasuke, this place has the best ramen in the village! And the people who run the place are great, I've never seen them turn anyone away since I started coming here, not for anything." Choji replied as he walked through the curtain seperating the shop from the outdoors.

"Hey, Akimichi-san!" Naruto said, waving to the clan heir.

"Hey, Naruto! Thanks for delivering that ramen earlier, Kakashi-sensei was really late, just like you said he'd be." The large boy replied. He would have sat down, but all the seats were occupied at the moment.

"Oh, sorry. We're done eating so you can have our spots." Tenten said, standing up and walking outside with her teammates in tow. "Bye, Naru-kun!"

"Bye Ten-chan!" Naruto called back, waving casually.

"T-thank you N-N-Naruto-k-kun." Hinata mumbled as she took the seat Lee had just vacated.

"Don't worry about it, I went to go get ramen myself anyway so I figured I'd thank you guys for not insulting me." Naruto replied.

"Hi, Sasuke-kun! How did you do on your sensei's test?" Ino asked. Naruto answered before Sasuke could.

"They didn't take it yet, Kakashi went through the meet and greet and told them to show up somewhere early tomorrow morning, only for him to show up three hours late, give-or-take." Naruto said before devouring the ramen that was placed in front of him.

"How the hell do you know that dobe?" Sasuke asked, his voice laced with cold fury at the reminder of his lazy sensei.

"I talked to the guy a lot when he was an Anbu. He couldn't tell me his name so I just called him Wavy-san." Naruto replied, getting a scowl from Sasuke.

"So he probably taught you stuff too, didn't he?" The rookie of the year asked.

"Kinda, he taught me that acting like an idiot makes it hard for people to consider you a threat, even if you have a reputation that would intimidate a Kage." Naruto said before he quickly polished off his bowl of ramen.

"What else?" Sasuke demanded.

"Nothing that they don't teach us in the academy. He told me that you can use chakra to walk on trees and water, but he didn't teach me how." Naruto said, enjoying the fact that the Uchiha was actually using him as a source of knowledge.

"Any skills I have, I had to figure them out myself. He didn't really teach me anything except how to run like a shinobi, and I didn't really press him on showing me stuff either, I just liked having some one to talk to." The blond concluded.

"Oh, and about your fangirl situation, just pick one that annoys the least and the rest will more or less scatter until you're single again." Naruto said, smirking at the look of realization that spread across his face.

"Thank you, Dobe!" Sasuke yelled, hugging the blond before he ran off in excitement, not having a clue where he was going.

"Damn, I've never seen him smile before...he must really hate fangirls." Naruto said, pretending to be completely unaware of an enraged Ino standing behind him, ready to strike. "I wouldn't do that Ino, remember what happened to Haruno-san?"

Those words stopped Ino cold. Sakura had still been cradling her hand when they left the academy earlier that day. Kiba and Asuma were snickering in the background, highly entertained.

"Well, I'm going to go home. Do we have anything planned for tomorrow?" Naruto said.

"Not really, I was planning on teaching you guys the tree-walking exercise but that's about it." Asuma replied.

"Yeah...I already know how to do that, so I think I'll plan on sparring with Lee or volunteering to help Iruka sensei at the academy tomorrow." Naruto declared, starting to leave before Asuma's voice stopped him.

"I thought you said Kakashi didn't teach you that?"

"He didn't, I figured it out. Water-walking too." Naruto replied. "Is there an air-walking technique? Maybe a flight one?" Naruto asked. Asuma thought for a moment.

"I heard about something like that in Hoshigakure, but I don't know any that I can teach you. If you know this stuff, why not help these two?"

"You channel chakra to your feet, run up a tree and see how high you can make it until you fall off, repeat until you can do it without thinking about it. It's mostly trial and error so I can't really help out other than to tell you to make sure you've got something soft to land on, and don't use too much chakra or you'll blow up the tree." Naruto replied. "Did I miss anything?"

"...No, that pretty much covers it...fine, you've got the day off tomorrow." Asuma relented.

"Sweet. see you guys in two days?"

"Yup, in two days we're taking some more missions." Asuma confirmed.

"Seeya then!" Naruto said, paying for their meals, plus tip, before heading home. Or, more specifically, the secret bunker he built under his apartment building, via a Doton ninjutsu from the scroll of seals, for some secret training.

_Naruto's Secret bunker Midnight (Five and a half hours later)_

"Okay, I learned the **Chidori(One Thousand Birds)**, **Suiton: Teppodama no Jutsu(Water Release: Water Bullet Jutsu)**, **Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu(Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu)**, **Raiton: Shichu Shibari(Lightning Release: Four Pillar Bind)**, **Denpo Sekka(Telegram Flash)**, and I even created the **Raiton: Hoden(Lightning Release: Discharge)**" Naruto said, panting lightly. "I should be good in any mission I go on for awhile. I can handle a C-rank, that's for _damn_ sure!"

The blond climbed back up the wall of his bunker and made his way back to his bedroom before falling asleep, only to wake up in his mindscape for his nightime training session with Kyubi.

Over the years, he Kyubi had experimented with altering his mindscape. Once they realized that he was god in his mind, he had set about building a paradise for the two of them. The only aspect they couldn't seem to agree on was whether or not it should be a giant,peaceful forest with no humans at all, or a big-ass palace with scantily clad women servicing to their every need while people erected monuments to the two of them.

Ironically, Naruto wanted the forest and Kyubi wanted the palace. Eventually the compromised. It would be a big-ass palace in a giant forest with Kyubi-sized vixen servants and wooden totem-statues. The perfect blend of natural and opulent charm.

They were inside the palace's training room and Kyubi was drilling Naruto on various Fuuton ninjutsu.

"**Fuuton: Daitoppa(Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!**" Naruto yelled as he released a large stream of wind from his mouth. "**Fuuton: Renkudan(Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet)!**" He said as he released a highly concentrated blast of wind that blasted through the stone wall.

**"Alright, Naruto, you've learned all the Fuuton Ninjutsu I know.**" Kyubi said, surprising the blond. "**So now I plan to teach you new ways to use chakra threads.**" Kyubi continued.

"Really, Kyubi-sensei? I thought you could only use them on puppets and weapons." Naruto replied, excited at the idea of new ways to kill people...there was something seriously wrong with him, but he didn't really care.

...That should scare him too...eh, just blame it on trauma.

"**Naruto, my name is Kurama.**" Kyubi-ahem, _Kurama_ said, shocking his student for the first time since they made their deal.

"When I asked you about your name years ago, you said you only tell it to people you trust and that you'd never trust humans again...does this mean you trust me?" Naruto asked.

"**Yes, gaki, I trust you. Ever since we made that deal six years ago, you never once thought about breaking it. Sure, we made a few modifications, I don't destroy Konoha or attack anyone that matters to you being one of them. But you've also tried to find ways to let me out without killing you, like that time we tried to make a summoning contract that pulled out my conciousness and half my chakra, or when you tried to put my mind into that fox you killed. I mean, none of them worked, obviously, but the point is that you tried, Kit.**" Kurama replied.

"Of course I tried, you're my best friend. You're the reason I survived those beatings and the reason I actually have any skills. I don't care that you killed my parents, it's not like I ever new them. I know you just wanted to be free, and I don't hold it against you." Naruto said. It was the most emotional thing he had ever said to his friend and mentor, and he was half expecting Kurama to laugh in his face and call him a pussy.

"**...Damn, I honestly don't think I could forgive someone for killing my parents. You're a great person Naruto, and I'm glad you're my jinchuriki.**" The great Kyubi replied. They were silent for a moment before Naruto spoke.

"Yeah...we should've saved that for a death-bed thing, you can actually feel the awkward in the air." Naruto said, rubbing his fingers together for emphasis.

"**I know...So...yeah.**" Kurama agreed, not sure where to go from there. "**Right, chakra threads! One of the things I discovered was-**"

**AN: Please review and let me know what's good, what's bad, and ways I can improve. I do not have spellcheck so feel free to point out errors. **

**Cut-offs are back!**

**PS, I will not respond to reviews in-story, please PM me if you have questions.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ch. 7**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did it would never have gotten off the ground**

**If you want good Naruto Fanfiction, find ****Kenchi618**** (Search authors on Fanfiction)the best writer I've seen!**

_Academy, With Naruto 7:00 AM_

"Let me get this straight. You have the day off of training with your squad because you already know what your sensei is teaching you, and you decided to spend it helping me teach the academy students?" Iruka asked. Naruto nodded in response.

"Alright, I'm teaching the kids about what chakra is and how to mold it properly, think you can help with that?" Iruka asked as he got together a bunch of paperwork that he needed to sort through...eventually. He put it away for now.

"Yeah, actually. In the scroll of seals, there was this jutsu that I saw that I managed to remember the steps to. It was called the **Rasengan(Spiraling Sphere)** and it's pure chakra molded into a perfect sphere, totally visible, and it can carve through just about anything. It's a perfect visual aid." Naruto replied as he formed the jutsu in his hands.

"Wow...it's beautiful." Iruka said as he stared at the spinning ball of chakra, captivated.

"I know, it's deadly too! I tested it out on a giant rock and I was able to bore through three feet of solid stone before I lost it." Naruto said as he let the chakra disperse.

"Alright, you can help. I'm not paying you for this though." Iruka said.

"Really, Iruka-sensei? I did thirty D-ranks yesterday, I don't need anymore money right now. I just wanted to help out my favorite teacher." Naruto replied. As the two of them walked into Iruka's classroom, Naruto spotted a few familiar faces.

"Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon? I'm helping Iruka-sensei teach your class?" Naruto asked, surprised.

"Boss?" The three kids asked, equally surprised.

"Naruto, how do you know Konohamaru?" Iruka asked, puzzled.

"I was talking to Hokage-sama and I saw him run up saying _"I challenge you!"_. After that, stuff happened and I taught him my _special_ version of the **Henge no Jutsu(Transformation Jutsu)** and...yeah, a lot happened that day. He introduced me to his friends a few days afterwards." Naruto explained.

"Alright." Iruka replied, simply deciding to move on.

"Today, we will be learning about chakra and how to mold it in order to properly utilize jutsu." The scarred chunin began. "Chakra is a combination of a person's physical and spiritual energies that, when mixed together in the right proportion, can produce a vriety of different effects."

"I'm going to stop you right there Iruka-sensei. How many of you are totally lost right now?" Naruto said. Over half of the class raised their hands, and only about five students, including the Konohamaru Corps, looked confident about the lesson. "Okay, a little less than I thought."

"Okay, simple version; Chakra is physical and spiritual energy put together. Physical energy is basically your physical condition, strength, speed, stamina, that stuff. Spiritual energy basically means intelligence and wisdom. A really big, strong guy that's dumb as bricks would have almost all physical energy and barely any spiritual energy. If that's true then what would really smart weak person have?" Naruto lectured.

"Lots of spiritual energy and no physical energy?" One of the students guessed.

"Close! He would have _little_ spiritual energy." Naruto replied. "Chakra can't just be one or the other, you have to have both. Luckily, they don't have to be in perfect balance, meaning that you could be more on the physical side and you'd still be just fine, same with the spiritual side."

"The three types of jutsu are-anyone?" Naruto asked. He pointed to a little Hyuga girl with long brown hair that looked a bit like Hinata and had her hand raised. "Yes, Hyuga-san?"

"Those would be Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu." She answered.

"Correct, can anyone tell me which of those would be best for someone that was more muscle than brain? Not you Hyuga-san, I want everyone to have a chance." Naruto said, as the Hyuga girl had raised her hand again.

"Taijutsu?" A girl with glasses and brown hair asked.

"Correct, girl in the glasses! Now, does anyone know what would be best for some one that was more brains than muscle?" This time it was Moegi that answered the question.

"Genjutsu!" She answered.

"Good! Now what would be best for someone that was perfectly balanced in mind and body, but had small chakra reserves?"

"Ninjutsu." The Hyuga girl answered.

"No. With small chakra reserves, using ninjutsu would exhaust a shinobi quickly, rendering them nearly useless, if not a complete liability. A person like that would be better off specializing in taijutsu or genjutsu while learning a few ninjutsu that require little chakra." Naruto corrected, getting a slight glare from the Hyuga girl.

"Now, if a person with balanced energies had massive reserves, you'd be right. Tell me, if a person was equally balanced between mind and body and had reserves that were naturally larger than most jonin's, what would be their greatest weakness when using chakra?" The blond genin asked. It was quiet while the class thought until the Hyuga spoke up again.

"It would be their chakra control, they would use too much chakra and essentially overload any ninjutsu or genjutsu they attempted to use." She answered.

"That's correct little lady. Tell me, what's you're name?" Naruto replied.

"My name is Hanabi, I am the daughter of the head of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hiashi." She replied calmly.

"Oh, so you're Hinata-san's sister. That explains the resemblance." Naruto said. "Alright, now that you all seem to have a decent understanding of what chakra is, I'm going to show you what it looks like." He said as he began to swirl chakra in the palm of his hand until it became a perfect sphere with a swirling pattern inside.

"This is the **Rasengan(Spiraling Sphere)**, it's a powerful offensive ninjutsu that has chakra so dense that it becomes visible when done properly. Normally chakra is invisible, unless you have a dojutsu, but I've always thought it was easier to comprehend something if you can see it. Since I've got this thing out anyway, I want to make something perfectly clear; if you see this, do **not** let it touch you. I can carve through three feet of solid rock with this, so I'm pretty sure it hurts." He continued before letting the jutsu fade.

"Wow Naruto, who would've thought that you were such a good teacher. I can't believe how simple you made chakra sound." Iruka said as he walked up to the blond who had more-or-less hijacked his classroom.

"Thanks Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said.

"I honestly don't think their's anything else I can add to his explanation other than...be careful when you use chakra, if you use to much it could kill you." The scarred chunin said with a straight face, making everyone realize that he was dead serious. "I expected this lecture to last until lunch, including the questions I figured I'd have to answer, so now I'm not quite sure what to do."

"How 'bout drilling them on handseals? I mean, we use 'em for about ninety percent of everything that isn't taijutsu, so it's kinda important to be quick with your hands." Naruto suggested.

Iruka approved of the idea and the rest of the class period was spent going over hand seals, starting with the sequences for the basic academy jutsu and ending with Naruto showing them the longest chain of hand-seals any of them had ever seen, Iruka included.

When the bell rang, the kids went to lunch, Naruto and Iruka relaxed and made small-talk, and when lunch was over they repeated the lesson with a different class.

_Team Eight's training ground, 4:00 PM_

"Come on Kiba, you've almost got it!" Ino cheered, sitting atop the highest branch on the tree she had chosen to climb...which happened to be at least three yards shorter than Kiba's.

The Inuzuka grunted. He had been doing this all day and had almost reached the top before he fell off the tree.

"Hey guys!" Naruto called as he approached the training ground with his hands behind his neck.

"Hey Naruto!" The two of them replied in stereo.

"Naruto, can you give me hint or something? This is driving me crazy!" Kiba asked, frustrated.

"Sure." The blonde jinchuriki replied, taking Kiba's right hand and placing it against his own.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Kiba asked, confused.

"I'm using a certain amount of chakra to keep our hands stuck together, if you can match it within a reasonable margin of error then our hands will seperate." Naruto explained. "I'm using the same amount of chakra that I use to stick to a tree in this case, so if you can get loose and channel this amount of chakra to your feet then you should be able to walk up a tree no problem." He concluded, getting a look of comprehension from the Inuzuka heir.

"Okay, so match the chakra to make you let go, use that amount on my feet and I can climb the tree?" Kiba asked, wanting to make sure.

"Yup. I would have had Ino do this woth you, but then you wouldn't be as motivated to escape." Naruto replied, getting a giggle from his fellow blond and mock glare from his feral friend.

Several minutes passed and nothing changed. Kiba was still stuck, Naruto looked amused, and Ino just seemed bored. Asuma didn't seem to be anywhere nearby.

"You need to use more chakra, like, what you're using now plus 50%." Naruto said, not wanting to waste too much time. "Hey! Akamaru's got it down!" Naruto said, pointing at said dog that was chasing a squirrel up a tree.

"Akamaru! Stop showng me up!"Kiba yelled before he returned his attention to his chakra. After about another two minutes, Kiba did it. "Finally!" The Inuzuka cheered.

"Alright, now do it again with your left hand." Naruto ordered. Kiba was able to get in thirty seconds. "Good, now climb the tree."

Kiba quickly sprinted at the tree and easily made his way to the top, stabding on the highest branch that could support his weight. "Yeah!" Kiba cheered.

"Great, now just keep doing it so you can get a feel for it!" Naruto shouted up to his celebrating teammate. "Hey, Ino, do you know where Asuma-sensei is?" Naruto asked his fellow blond.

"Sorry Goldie, I haven't seen him since he left us to our training." She answered.

"I see..." Naruto said, taking his new nickname in stride. "How many times have you climbed that tree from the ground to the top?"

"Twice, why?" Ino asked.

"Because you're going to do that until it becomes instinctive, now get to it!" Naruto replied, turning into a temporary drill sergeant as he watched his teammates learn something that he was skilled at.

He could read a book while he stuck to his ceiling and form a **Rasengan** in his free hand. He knew. He tried.

"I thought you were planning on sparring with that guy today...Lee, right?" Asuma asked from his spot behind Naruto. Naruto, to his credit, did not flinch at Asuma's sudden appearence.

_"I didn't even sense him."_ The blond thought. "I was going to but he and his team are out on a mission today, B-rank." Naruto answered. "They might not be back for over a week, depending on how it goes."

"I see...that was an interesting method you used to help Kiba out, and it was smart to make sure they could all but do it in their sleep." The jonin said, a touch of admiration in his voice.

"Well it's not like they'll be able to focus on it in a fight. If they have to split focus between combat and tree-walking they won't last long against an actual threat. Same with water-walking." Naruto replied, not taking his eyes off of his teammates.

"That's very true. I thought you were the dead-last of your class?"

"Only because I chose to be." Naruto replied.

"Why would you choose to be a dobe?"

"Everybody loves an underdog, plus it makes people underestimate me."

"Huh...I like you kid, you're interesting."

"Thanks, I am aim to please. I think they've done enough for now, what do you think?"

"Yeah, let's go get dinner."

"Guys!" Naruto called. "You can stop now, let's get dinner!" That statement got all two-ahem, _three_ of them excited. They loved Ichiraku's almost as much as he did.

"Ichiraku's, here we come!" Kiba yelled, with Akamaru barking in agreement.

"Yeah...I'm glad I got placed with you guys, I could have been stuck with people that would do nothing but spite me for the hell of it, like Uchiha-san." Naruto commented as they walked towards their favorite ramen stand. Surprisingly, Ino didn't say a word about it...probably because she knew it was true.

"Seriously Ino? No comments or threats about how he insulted your _precious Sasuke-kun_?" Kiba asked teasingly.

"Nope." She replied, stunning the entire team, even Asuma. "It's not like he's wrong, Sasuke-kun probably would mess with him like that. It's not like we were any better before he kicked our asses." She explained.

Naruto blinked. "Who are you, and what have you done with Yamanaka Ino?" He asked, deadpan.

"What? Just because I'm not some obsessed bimbo I can't be Ino?"

"Yes." The rest of team eight deadpanned. Even Akamaru yipped in agreement.

"Naruto, I think you broke her." Kiba said, looking at the be-whiskered blond.

"No...I think she might be...growing out of her fangirl phase." Naruto said, still a bit stunned at this new development. He blinked as the pieces fell into place. "Bravo, Ino! You're planning on toning down your inner fangirl so Sasuke will be more inclined to pick you as his girlfriend/fangirl repellant." Naruto deduced, getting a sigh of relief, along with disappointment, from Kiba and Asuma.

"Was it that obvious?" She asked dejectedly, slumpng forward in defeat without breaking stride.

"No, it took me a minute to realize it and I'm the one who gave you the idea." Naruto replied. As they approached their favorite restaurant, they noticed that their was a certain team of genin already there.

"Hey Naruto!" Choji called from his seat.

"Hey Akimichi-san!" Naruto replied as he stepped inside the ramen stand. "Hinata-san, Uchiha-san." He greeted as he took his seat.

"Hey, Naruto, what can I get ya?" Teuchi asked.

"Large pork ramen today, Teuchi-ojisan!" Naruto replied, grabbing a pair of chopsticks in preperation for the meal.

"Hm, Dobe." Sasuke muttered his customary greeting, visibly agitating the blond jinchuriki. He may have been trying to go for the image of the pathetic failure, but he really did hate that nickname.

"Teme." Naruto replied, getting a surprised look from both his team and Team 7. Ever since his 'change in attitude' he had always greeted everyone formally, even Sasuke despite the 'rivalry' he had created to aid him in crafting his loser persona. It seems not everything was an act.

"I knew you were just pretending to be different. No one could fake being _that_ pathetic." Sasuke said smugly, the arrogance practically oozing off of him.

"If you'd like to fight me Uchiha-san, I would be more than happy to show you the difference between us." Nauto said calmy as he ate his newly served pork ramen, savoring the flavor.

Needless to say, everyone was shocked by Naruto's challenge. Sasuke must have really irked him if he felt the need to issue a challenge as opposed to his usual goading. Ino, unsurprisingly, leapt to Sasuke's defence.

"Naruto, I know you're better than we thought but there's no way you could beat Sasuke-kun in a fight!" The young Yamanaka heir declared, though she lacked her traditional deafening volume.

"Alright Dobe, I'll humor you and kick your ass like I always do." Sasuke said as he finished eating and paid for his ramen. Naruto's mouth twitched slightly as he tried not to smirk.

"Alright, the hot springs, one hour from now. I have spectators to contact and bets to arrange." Naruto said, downing his ramen quickly and placing the money on the table. "Guys, operation Sponsor is a go!" Naruto said before he rushed out of the ramen stand, no doubt spreading the news of his imminent fight with the Uchiha prodigy.

_Hot Springs, 5:30 PM_

"He's late." Sasuke said, smirking at the prospect of Naruto backing out.

"Actually Sasuke, Naruto's still got about five minutes until we hit the one-hour mark. Not to mention he said he was looking for spectators, so giving him a few more minutes is only fair to accomadate for civillian speed." Kakashi said, not looking away from his book.

"If you have such a good sense of time, why are you always late?" Sasuke asked, completely serious.

"Because it's fun to mess with you guys and everyone else." Kakashi replied, turning the page of his book. "Ooh! Plot twist! Hehehe!" The masked jonin said, giggling perversely.

"Goldy's coming!" Ino said, pointing towards a familiar head of spiky blond hair as it walked in front of a large crowd.

"Sorry I took so long, I had a little trouble setting up the betting system." Naruto said nonchalantly. Everyone was surprised to see Iruka and the Hokage. The Konohamaru Corps. was expected by anyone that knew them. Their entire graduating class was present, including a crowd of fangirls with 'We love Sasuke' posters and flags, and there were many shinobi present as well.

"Before I let this fight proceed, I need you two to swear not to use lethal force." Iruka said as he stood between the Uchiha and Uzumaki. "I won't have you two killing each other."

"Don't worry Iruka, the Dobe couldn't kill me if he tried and I had both hands tied behind my back." Sasuke boasted, recieving cheers and shouts of approval from the crowd. Iruka simply disregarded his boasting and looked over to Naruto.

"Don't worry Iruka-sensei, I might put him in the hospital but he won't take more than three days to heal." Naruto said, getting a small smirk from the scarred chunin.

"That's fine Naruto, he needs to be knocked down a few pegs." Iruka replied, stunning most of the crowd. It was no secret that he disliked the idea of favoring one student over another, despite having a soft spot for Naruto, so it was surprising that he would so openly back Naruto in this fight. Naruto snapped his fingers and a clone holding a stereo moved its way out of the crowd before sttling in the branches of a nearby tree.

"Hit _play_ as soon as the fight starts." Naruto told his doppelganger, who only grinned in response.

"Alright, 3...2...1...begin!" Iruka said, jumping away as Sasuke charged the blond. It was at that point that the stereo started playing a interesting song (U Can't Touch This by MC Hammer. I had too!).

_ "U can't touch this...U can't touch this...U can't touch this...U can't touch this..." _The song went as Naruto literally _danced_ his way around Sasuke's attacks, earning stunned looks and chuckles from the crowd from the crowd. The impressive part was that he seemed to be dancing in tune with the music as the song played, not just making dodges look like dance moves. Every step was flawless, as if he had rehearsed it a hundred times, and his eyes were closed to add insult to injury.

"Listen to the song Teme, 'cause U Can't Touch This!" Naruto said, pointing to himself, before suddenly popping Sasuke in the jaw, followed by a literal kick in the ass. Sasuke retaliated by drawing a kunai and slashing at the blond that dared toy with him. When slashing failed, he jumped back and threw the kunai. Naruto just dodged it the same way he dodged everything else; by dancing around it.

Sasuke roled through a few hand-seals before shouting, "**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu(Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu)!**" He unleashed a large wave of fire at Naruto, planning to roast him alive after how the blond had embarressed him. Naruto just stood their, smirking.

"Congratulations Teme, you bored my Kage Bunshin to the point of suicide." Naruto said from behind the Uchiha before spin-kicking him into the trunk of a nearby tree, getting a groan of pain for his efforts. "Do you give up?"

"Why would I give up just because you managed to get a lucky shot?" Sasuke snorted, arrogance dripping off of every word.

"Because I just now started fighting back and you only beat my Kage Bunshin because it was bored of messing with you." Narut deadpanned, getting a glare from the Uchiha who tried to make more hand-seals, only to find his opponent suddenly right in front of him. "Goodnight!" Naruto said cheerfully before punching Sasuke in the forehead-protector, bouncing the back of his head against the tree. "This victory was brought to you by Ramen Ichiraku!" Naruto shouted, pointing at his two favorite ramen chefs.

"Pay up, bitches!" Kiba shouted, having bet the majority of his money on Naruto finishing the match before the song was over...and it was still playing.

"No way! He must have cheated!" One of the civilians shouted, causing others to agree and refuse to pay their wagers. The shinobi all honored their bets, though many of them weren't happy about it. Eventually, Hiruzen had enough.

"Naruto-kun did not cheat! No rules were set other than no usage of lethal force. I'm fairly certain a direct hit from a katon ninjutsu of that calibur is not survivable, so if anyone cheated it was Sasuke! Now pay your debts or I'll make you all Naruto-kun's sparring partners!" The Hokage said after people began sugesting that they had drugged Sasuke to hinder his performance and other things of that nature. Everyone quickly paid their dues and went on their way.

"Kakashi-san, you may want to start training him now that his ego's been deflated a bit." Naruto said as he walked off towards his apartment, his teammates following him simply to bask in his greatness...Alright, Ino was pissed that her crush lost and she lost the money she bet on him while Kiba was beaming from the money the young jinchuriki won him.

"Ino, I told you Naruto would kick Sasuke's ass! If you weren't so obsessed with him you would've seen it just like I did and you wouldn't be broke!" Kiba said, defending their _de facto _team leader from his fellow blond's wrath.

"Kiba's right Ino, it would have been obvious if you looked at it objectively." Naruto chimed in as he walked up to his apartment.

"Hey, Naruto, where are we going?" Ino suddenly asked. Naruto stopped in place before turning to face his kunoichi teammate.

"You're kidding, right?" Naruto asked. Ino shook her head while Kiba also looked curious. "You guys have been following me to my apartment, I don't know why, and you guys didn't have a clue where I lived?" Naruto asked, getting a sheepish look from Ino. Kiba just blinked.

"Nope...never had a clue until now." The Inuzuka replied, scratching Akamaru behind the ears. The nin-ken shot Naruto an apolagetic look.

"Then allow me to introduce you guys to the Uzumaki Estate. Lower your expectations." Naruto said as he unlocked the door and walked in, followed by his three teammates. They saw a rather clean, yet small apartment, consisting of a bed, a small kitchen that was just a stove, fridge, and microwave, and a door that presumably led to the bathroom.

"You...live here?" Ino asked, completely uncomfortable with livivng in such a small, bland, and seemingly uncomfortable place.

"Yup! Ever since I was kicked out of the orphanage when I was four." Naruto replied, walking towards a small dresser that he had. "I was going to give these to you guys when we met for missions tomorrow, but since you're here..." Naruto said, grabbing two slips of paper and giving one to Kiba and the other to Ino.

"You're giving us paper?" Kiba asked. Ino was equally confused.

"It's chakra paper, you channel chakra into it and it tells you what type of elemental jutsu you have a natural talent for using." Naruto explained, getting excited looks from his teammates. They quickly channeled chakra through the slips of paper, not even waiting for further instruction, and their papers had two different reactions.

Kiba's paper crumbled to dirt while Ino's became very moist, almost soaked. The two were confused on what that meant.

"Kiba, you have an affinity for Doton (Earth Release), and you, Ino, seem to be suited for Suiton (Water Release). Looks like Kiba has the elemental advantage.

"So...what element do you have Naruto?" Kiba asked as ino sulked about being the weakest member of the team.

"My primary affinity is wind, but I also have a second affinity for lightning, which trumps earth and does great combo tactics with water. I suggest learning a few jutsu that can counter your weakness, element-wise, just in case you fight someone that's almost born to fight you." Naruto said. "I also happen to know a number of Suiton ninjutsu and I know a couple Doton ninjutsu as well, so I can give you guys a good base to work with." He continued, tossing them a scroll with various ninjutsu relating to their element, along with the weakness of their weakness.

"You have two!?" Kiba yelled, astounded.

"I developed my lightning affinity by using a bunch of Raiton (Lightning Release) techniques, so it's not like I got it for free." Naruto replied. "If you guys need help with any of those, just let me know. Or Asuma-sensei if it's a Fuuton (Wind Release) jutsu."

Ino and Kiba were speechless once they realized exactly what Naruto just gave them. He gave them tools in order to get stronger in the form of a scroll full of what they assumed to be various badass elemental ninjutsu as well as offering them help if they needed it. Of all the people that insulted Naruto in class, they were the two most vocal and obnoxious. Sasuke was quieter than they were, but his arrogance in how he hazed Naruto made it seem worse than it was.

"Thank you, Naruto." The two of them said in perfect stereo...they had been doing that rather often since being teamed with Naruto.

"It's no big deal, I learned all those jutsu and put them in scrolls so I could barter with other shinobi for new ones. I just figured that the stronger you guys are, the stronger the team is as a whole. It wasn't an act of kindness, it was an act of selflessness that stemmed from selfish desires." Naruto explained, stopping them from thinking he was trying to help them _just_ to help them.

"Doesn't matter, we've still got a bunch of new jutsu to learn!" Kiba declared, instantly brightening the atmosphere with that simple statement.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just don't blow anything up with those, and try not to get caught with the scrolls, if people figure out where I learned those jutsu..." Naruto replied, trailing off as he thought of the repercussions if people learned how many jutsu he copied from that giant scroll.

"Where _did_ you learn these jutsu, Naruto?" Ino asked, curious.

"I'm sorry, but I'm keeping that information to myself." Naruto said, refusing to budge. "Now get out of my house! You two have training to do!" Naruto yelled suddenly, scaring his teammates.

"Got it!" They replied, bolting out the door to start their training. They would be disappointed when they realized that they had to learn how to channel their elemental chakra before they could get to the good stuff. Naruto grinned at the thought.

"Well...I guess I just have to wait until tomorrow's mission." Naruto said to himself, flopping onto his bed and shutting his eyes.

**AN: Please review and let me know what's good, what's bad, and ways I can improve. I do not have spellcheck so feel free to point out errors. **

**PS, I will not respond to reviews in-story, please PM me if you have questions.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ch. 8**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did it would never have gotten off the ground**

**If you want good Naruto Fanfiction, find ****Kenchi618**** (Search authors on Fanfiction)the best writer I've seen! ...I wonder if I could get paid if I told him I'm writing this?**

_The Next Day, Hokage Tower_

"Naruto-kun, after your little demonstration yesterday I have decided that your team is ready for a C-rank mission." The Hokage said as Team 8 reported in to take their usual assorted D-ranks.

"Really!? Thanks Old Man!" Kiba shouted, celebrating.

"Kiba, show some respect to Hokage-sama!" Ino, hissed.

"Relax Ino, he likes it when people treat him normally every once in a while." Naruto said, putting his book away. "Are you sure about this though? You saw a little of what I can do in combat, but as a team do you think we're ready?" He asked.

"It's a fairly simple mission Naruto-kun, you'll be escorting a merchant to Kaze no Kuni (Land of Wind) as he does business in various small villages and Sunagakure." Hiruzen explained, handing them the mission scroll as he did so. Naruto looked to Asuma, silently asking him what he thought.

"I'm sure we can keep up with you Naruto, don't worry." Asuma said jokingly, blowing a bit of smoke as he spoke.

"Okay, if you guys are on board then so am I." Naruto relented, a strange sinking feeling in his gut. He learned long ago that when he felt like that, bad things happened.

"Now that that's settled, when do we leave?" Kiba asked, scratching Akamaru, who's head was poking out of the Inuzuka's jacket, behind the ears.

"The merchant will be ready to leave in one hour, so you have until then to prepare. Hiruzen replied. Team 8 scattered to prepare for their new mission, excitement on their faces. Even Naruto's, though he had a bit of apprehension as well.

_With Ino_

_"I have to pack something cute, yet functional...I can't wear anything with a skirt otherwise I'll get sand everywhere."_ Ino thought as she searched through her closet for an outfit that met her _"needs"_ (AKA Fashion Requirements) "Ooh! Perfect!" She said as she pulled out the shinobi equivilant of skinny jeans and a purple long-sleeve shirt that was probably meant to be worn on a date, if the low neckline was any indication.

The Yamanaka heiress then proceeded to pull out several similar outfits and place them in a backpack, taking up most of the space.

"Alright, I'll need sunblock, chapstick, lotion...(You see where this is going)

_With Kiba_

"Okay, I'll need sunblock and lighter clothes, lots of water, food that doesn't need to be cooked, some treats and snausages...I should probably pack some for Akamaru too..." Kiba said as he packed the aforementioned items into his bag.

"Hey, runt!" A rough female voice called out from somewhere in the massive clan compound.

"Yeah, Mom?" Kiba replied.

"Get me some treats...and snausages!" Tsume yelled out.

"Got it!" Kiba yelled as he grabbed the food items and brought them to his mother's room. "I'll leave 'em at the door, I gotta get packed for my C-rank, 'kay?"

"A C-rank? Good job Kiba!" Tsume replied as Kiba walked back to his room to finish packing.

"Thanks, Mom!" He replied.

_With Naruto_

"Alright, I've got my supplies in the storage scrolls and I packed some extras for Ino and some dog treats for Akamaru just in case, my clothes have environmental seals so the heat won't get to me." Naruto said as he made sure he had everything.

"Hey boss, we just finished those extra sets of goggles for Ino, Kiba, Akamaru, and Asuma. Adjustable straps and tinted lenses just like you said." One of Naruto's clones reported, handing over said goggles.

"Good job guys, dismissed." Naruto replied as the clones disappeared in plumes of smoke. "Alright, I've got what's necessary for the desert itself. Now to pack my weapons and explosive tags...lots of explosive tags." Naruto said as he stuffed over a dozen tags in his ninja pouch as well as forty shuriken, twenty kunai, about ten feet of ninja wire, and five soldier pills. "I love those volume enhancement seals, I can fit so much stuff in this pouch!" Naruto said as he placed several more explosive tags in a storage scroll.

"Now for the experiment!" Naruto declared as he made twenty Kage Bunshin before placing ten of them in one storage scroll and the rest in another. "I wonder what it's like in there?" Naruto wondered, thinking about being in a storage seal. "I'll find out when these guys dispel."

_Konoha Main Gate_

"Naruto, where's your pack?" Asuma asked, surprised that his greatest shinobi came seemingly unprepared.

"Storage scrolls Sensei, storage scrolls." Naruto replied, tossing two scrolls towards his teammates. "In case there's trouble, I put ten Kage Bunshin in each of those scrolls. Portable cavalry." He said as he took out several pairs of goggles and handed them out to everyone.

"Why are you giving us goggles?" Ino asked, eyeing the eyewear with distaste.

"Sandstorms. I'm going to assume you packed more clothes and beauty products than survival gear?" Naruto replied, directing the question at Ino.

"Hey! I've got food and water!" Ino said, offended.

"I didn't say you didn't, I just said you've probably got more clothes and lotions than survival gear." Naruto replied calmly, handing her another scroll. "We'll probably be doing this for about two weeks, maybe more, so I made sure to pack plenty of food and water." He explained as he handed Kiba a scroll as well, followed by a smaller scroll that he tied to Akamaru's back. "And treats for my favorite nin-ken!" The blond finished, smiling at the happy puppy. His tail was a blur as he wagged it for all it was worth.

"I'm impressed, Naruto. You made sure we all had plenty more than we needed and did so without prompting, you're a good team leader." Asuma said, getting a confused look from the be-whiskered blond.

"What? When did that happen?" He asked, completely surprised. His team looked at him like he was stupid.

"Goldie, you beat us both at the same time without throwing a punch, you practically destroyed Sasuke-kun, you helped Kiba with tree-walking, you gave us that chakra paper, and now you made sure we were fully stocked for the first time we left the village. Who else would be in charge when Asuma-sensei's not around!?" Ino explained/ranted.

"Akamaru." Naruto replied, poker-faced. Akamaru barked in what sounded like agreement. Everyone laughed, even Naruto couldn't keep a straight face for long.

It was at that point that the client came along.

"So this is what the Hokage considers an armed escort? Three children, a puppy, and a man as immature as his subordinates. Konoha really is a joke." The merchant said snidely, clearly unimpressed by his escorts. "He could have at least sent the Uchiha if he was trusting me with kids, he would be better than you three."

The laughter stopped immediately, only to pick right back up again. The merchant was confused.

"What's so funny? I just insulted you and you're laughing?" He asked, surprised.

"Naruto kicked Sasuke's ass yesterday, moron!" Kiba yelled, shocking the client. "He did it in less than five minutes and Sasuke couldn't touch him!"

"Goldie didn't even acknowledge him as a threat and he won like it was nothing." Ino chimed in, shocking her teammates.

"I don't believe it...you said something against your precious Sasuke-kun." Naruto said, completely shocked.

"So what? He's not nearly as good as you Goldie-kun." Ino replied, a small smile on her lips. Needless to say, Naruto was suspicious.

"What do you want from me?" Naruto asked, his eyes squinted in concentration as he tried to think of why she was acting like this.

_**"You still have your moments, don't you Naruto? She clearly only wanted the Uchiha because he was the best and that made him desirable. Power is attractive, and I should know. Now that you've beat him she's fawning over you, and you're much kinder to her than he was..."**_ Kurama explained, getting a scared look from the young jinchuriki.

_"Does that mean I'm going to have-"_

"It's Naruto-kun!" A loud shriek announced, followed by several other shrieks of a similar nature.

_ "Fangirls...shit!"_ Naruto thought as he nearly teleported to a nearby alley before spamming Kage Bunshin that ran off in a dozen different directions while he used the **Henge no Jutsu(Transformation Jutsu)** to turn into an old crate as his new admirers chased after his decoys.

Naruto promptly rejoined his team once he was sure the crowd was gone. "Sorry about that." He said sheepishly as they walked to the gate.

"It happens." Asuma replied. "Who would've thought that all you had to do was kick the Uchiha's ass to get yourself an army of se-"

"Finish that sentence and you'll see how damaging my pranks can be with a little malice." Naruto warned with a manic grin and a strange glint in his eye. It was enough to silence the jonin...this time.

"I honestly can't imagine what Naruto could do if he _really_ wanted to prank some one..." Kiba muttered. Akamaru whimpered at the thought.

"Don't worry, I only viciously prank people that have it coming...so far, no one does." Naruto said, comforting them.

"We should head out now, we've got a long way to go and a short time to get there." Asuma said, getting a look from his genin. "What?"

"Nothing." They replied in unison. The group and their client quickly signed out at the village checkpoint and headed towards Kaze no Kuni.

"What's our first stop?" Naruto asked the merchant, curious.

"We're going to Suna first, there I will sell most of my wares and use those profits to buy things in Suna that I can sell to the other villages at a higher price." The merchant explained. "I'm curious, how did you defeat the Uchiha in combat? You must have been lucky and gotten in a shot at his head, correct?" He asked.

Naruto didn't know why, but this man made him feel cautious. Like he should be ready to kill him in an instant lest the same be done to him. His appearance was fairly unassuming, short black hair that had a slight curl to it and a gentle face with a bit of a worn texture, like he had done physical work for some time before becoming a merchant.

...That was it! The way he spoke was cultured and refined, like a rich person or even a daimyo, but his appearance suggested that he knew the value of money, having earned it through hard work...it just didn't mix.

"Nope, not even close." Naruto replied. "I taped the fight so I could watch it over again, I'll be sure to give you a copy when we get back to Konoha." He explained. He _did_ tape the fight, but he didn't really like talking strategy with a stranger, especially this one.

"Surely you could just tell me?" The man pressed, his smile becoming visibly forced. For some reason, the man made Naruto think of a snake.

"I wasn't even really trying, I messed with him for awhile until I got bored. Then I just knocked his ass out." Naruto said, telling the truth while keeping his answer vague. The man was about to press further until Naruto interrupted. "Where are your wares anyway? I doubt you could fit everything in that travel pack along with supplies."

"My uncle was a ninja in Kusagakure(Village Hidden in the Grass), and he taught me a few things. One of them being how to make and use storage seals." The merchant answered, smiling disarmingly.

"If you're uncle was a Grass shinobi, why hire Konoha shinobi?" Naruto asked, becoming more suspicious.

"Konoha was closer and I needed to buy supplies anyway. If I hired Kusa shinobi, I would have also had to backtrack to go to Sunagakure which would have wasted valuable time." He answered airily, as if it was an insignificant matter.

"I see...so what do sell?" Naruto asked. That made the man pause ever so slightly.

"I sell many things. Knicknacks that fetch decent prices elsewhere, raw materials for weapons and ninja tools, extravagant goods that are even more extravagant in other places...just about everything but actual weapons." He answered.

"Why don't you sell weapons?"

"Because it's harder to move those across the border, and I'd rather not accidentally give bandits good equipment in case I get robbed."

"So what are you going to sell in Suna?"

"Why must you ask so many questions?" The merchant hissed, his patience worn out. This was noticed by the other members of the escort group.

"Naruto, quit bothering the client." Asuma said dismissively. He knew it wasn't the jinchuriki that was to blame, but he couldn't be disrespectful to the client. Not if they wanted repeat business.

"Yes, Asuma-sensei." Naruto replied as he moved ahead of the client and Ino fell back to walk beside the merchant.

"Do you know anywhere in Suna that sells good clothes?" Ino asked casually. The man was mentally ripping his hair out, and it showed on his face.

"No, I sell materials that bought by tailors and the like, but I don't know who has good clothes!" He hissed. Ino flinched and remained silent from that point on. The guy was scary for a merchant.

They continued walking in silence until nightfall, at which point they set up camp.

_The Next Morning_

"Kami, I love Kage Bunshin!" Naruto declared as said clones packed up everyone's supplies. The clones had also taken over guard duty, with a squad watching the camp, a few scouts patrolling the immediate area, and a clone in each tent to wake everyone in case the felt one of their brethren get dispelled. Naruto was confident he would wake up from the sensation, but wasn't going to risk people's lives on the off-chance that he wouldn't. Especially not _his own_ life.

"I gotta admit Naruto, I'm a little jealous." Asuma said, suddenly appearing behind the now spooked blond. "I wish I could spam Kage Bunshin like you can." The bearded jonin admitted.

"I know...I'm awesome." Naruto said, not bothering to be humble, it was still too early for that.

"I'll say." Ino said as she wrapped her arms around her fellow blond from behind. While Naruto didn't mind the contact from a pretty girl, he was also in a relationship. A _committed_ relationship.

"Ino, please don't cling to me like that." Naruto said calmly as he gently, yet firmly, removed the kunoichi's arms from around his neck.

"What's wrong Goldie-kun? Your clone seemed to enjoy my attention." She smirked.

"My clones have incredibly short life spans, and completely disregard consequences since they don't live long enough have to deal with them...the bastards." Naruto replied, causing Ino to grin.

"So...the only thing stopping you from enjoying my company is Tenten?" Ino asked, recieving a cautious nod from the young jinchuriki. "In that case, I'll be sure to ask her if she wouldn't mind sharing when we get home." The young clan heiress said, a large grin on her face as she walked away.

"Dude...HOW!?" Kiba asked/demanded.

"It's simple Kiba...I've got game." Naruto answered, much to the Inuzuka's annoyance. "If you want an army of fangirls, all you have to do is kick my ass in a public fight with lots of spectators...I will not throw a fight so you can pick up chicks." Naruto said, answering the question he knew was coming.

"Lucky bastard...can you at least give me some pointers?" Kiba asked.

"...I can't, since Tenten likes me for me and I'm still not sure how the hell I made that happen, and the fangirls are after me because I kicked Sasuke's ass so you'd have to beat me or prove your superiority somehow. I can ask Tenten if she can help?" Naruto pondered, trying to think of ways he could help his teammate.

_**"What the Hell are you doing? When did you get so soft gaki!?"**___Kurama asked, angry that his host was trying to aid a human without getting anything in return. The jutsu scrolls were reasonable, the stronger his teammates, the less weight he had to carry on his own. Hooking the Inuzuka up with a girl did nothing for him...well, it might get a fangirl off his tail, which even the mighty Kyuubi could understand, but just one didn't warrant the effort it would require to set up a date and make sure it went smoothly for the Inuzuka.

_"Kurama, I'm not setting him up on a date, I'm going to talk to Tenten about giving him some pointers. It'll take, like, two minutes to talk to her about it."_ Naruto countered, his response perfectly rational and reasonable.

_**"Sorry Naruto, being trapped in two females leaves a bit of an impression. I assumed you were taking care of everything."**_

_"No problem, I just hope-"_ Naruto thought before he was interupted by his teammates.

"C'mon Naruto! Let's go!" Kiba shouted. The group was clearly waiting on him, their packs either on their backs or in their arms.

"Naruto, are you alright?" Asuma asked, concerned. He didn't know that Naruto was in contact with the Kyuubi, no one did, but he knew that jinchuriki could often communicate with their biju and that was cause for concern since Naruto had completely spaced out.

"Yeah, Asuma-sensei, I'm fine. Thanks for the concern." Naruto said as he took his position walking next the jonin with Kiba next to the merchant and Ino guarding the rear.

_Two days later, the gates of Sunagakure_

"We're finally here." Asuma said, obviously eager to relax. "I wonder if they have good cigarettes here?" The jonin mused to himself.

"I appreciate you all guarding me on the way here, but I believe I'll hire some Suna shinobi from here on out." The merchant said, walking towards the Kazekage tower and leaving a surprised team of Konoha shinobi.

Well, most of them were surprised. Naruto, not so much.

_**[Flashback, last night]**_

_"This guy...he bugs me for some reason." Naruto muttered as he kept watch over the immediate area._

**"I know, at first he was completely unassuming, totally forgettable, but now that we take a closer look it's like we'd see him coming a mile away with a kunai behind his back."**_ Kurama replied to Naruto's musings._

"I wouldn't go that far, but I know what you mean. Kurama, can you give my senses a boost?"_ Naruto thought. He quickly felt the touch of demonic chakra as his eyesight imroved, his hearing became sharper, and his sense of smell increased almost tenfold._

_ Naruto took a deep sniff, and almost gagged on the smell of snakes and dead skin coupled with a hint of coconut. _"What the fuck!? I can't believe Kiba hasn't complained about this!"_ Naruto mentally ranted before he realized where the scent was coming from. It was the merchant, and he was giving off just a touch of chakra that swirled around his body._

"Son of a bitch. He smells like a snake, makes me think of a snake, and he hissed like a snake when I kept asking questions...my luck can't be this bad! Please tell me we are not guarding Orochimaru of the Sennin while he takes a trip to Suna!"_ Naruto pleaded. He knew he was strong, he knew Asuma was strong...the others were okay. Either way, he did NOT want to fight a Sennin, it was akin to suicide in his situation._

**"Well, Naruto, it looks like we have to continue the mission and see what he's up to when we get to Suna."**_ Kurama decided._

"Yes, Kyuubi-sensei."_ Naruto answered, too worried to think of anything else._

_**[End Flashback]**_

"So...dinner?" Kiba asked, unsure of what to do next.

"I think I'll look around a bit, see if I can find anything interesting." Naruto said as he walked off, his hands clasped casually behind his neck.

"Naruto." Asuma called, getting the jinchuriki to look back at him curiously. "Remember, this isn't Konoha. If you get in trouble, even if some one else starts it, it could be a serious problem." The jonin warned.

"Relax, I won't do anything that could attract attention." Naruto grinned as he walked down the street. He turned a corner and made it twelve steps before some one bumped into him as they came around the corner of a building. "Oops! Sorry, my bad." Naruto apologized as stepped back. That was when he got a good look of the young shinobi he had bumped into.

"Watch where you're going you little punk!" The black-clad shinobi growled. He had purple face-paint in an intricate pattern that probably symbolized something. His outfit was a black robe with a hood that had two points that resembled the ears of a cat.

"I said I was sorry." Naruto said calmly as he observed the large, bandaged...thing on the shinobi's back. It was at that point that the robed ninja noticed Naruto's hitae-ate and glared at him.

"What the hell is a Konoha shinobi doing here!?" He growled. Naruto simply remained calm as he explained.

"My team and I were assigned a C-rank escort mission to bring a merchant to Suna. When we got here, he said he was going to hire Suna shinobi for the rest of his trip. Given the time of day we were planning to stay at a hotel and head out in the morning, I was bored so I went for a walk." Naruto monotoned as he looked around.

"I see..." The shinobi said, staring at him. "Stay out of trouble, or I'll make you regret it." He threatened as he attempted to leave.

"A piece of advice; Don't use such strong words, it only makes you seem weak." Naruto said as he walked in the opposite direction, only to stop as he felt a chakra thread wrap around his leg like ninja-wire. "Chakra threads, you a puppeteer?" Naruto asked as he turned around and faced a now glaring Suna shinobi.

"How'd you know?" He growled.

"That thing on your back plus the thread on my leg made it easy to figure out." Naruto said, casually using his own chakra to disrupt the thread around his leg. The action caused the Suna shinobi to blink.

"How'd you do that?" He asked, unable to hide his surprise.

"I simply pumped a little chakra out of the tenketsu in my legs, it was enough to disrupt the threads, but not much else." Naruto said. Before the situation could escalate, a rough, gravelly voice called out.

"Kankuro, what are you doing?" The two of them turned to see a short, red-haired boy with a massive gourd strapped to his back. "If your answer annoys me, I'll kill you." He stated, glaring at the black-robed puppeteer.

"H-Hey Gaara." Kankuro stuttered, terror evident on his face.

**Omake 2: The Bet**

"Okay, Naruto-kun, you win." Tenten said dejectedly. Despite her best efforts, she hadn't managed to pop enough clones before the time limit expired. She had one left, and the alarm clock went off just before the last clone was dispelled.

"Alright, now I want my prize...es." Naruto said, smirking. He was fairly sure he would be amused by her most embarresing moment in the academy, but there was no doubt that he would enjoy the_ other_ part of their deal.

"Alright, my most embarresing moment in the academy was when I...was when I tripped and accidentally kissed a girl in my class. Her name was Kagome." Tenten said, obviously very nervous about his reaction to the news. She expected him to laugh or smirk, but he just whistled in appreciation.

"Damn, I got me a girl that's kissed more women than I have. Sweet!" Naruto said before he quickly kissed Tenten on the lips, surprising her. "And now we're tied in that department...unless there's another girl you've kissed?" Naruto said, a slightly lecherous grin on his face.

"No, there's not!" Tenten said, her face a bit red. Naruto just chuckled.

"Relax Ten-chan, you know I'm just teasing. If you get this flustered from _that_, I can't wait to see what you're like for the next part of the bet." Naruto said, his grin growing as he imagined the near future. "But not here, let's do this at the onsen." He said as he led the way to his personal hot-springs.

Once they arrived, Naruto quickly changed into a pair of swimming trunks and Tenten into a bikini she had hidden in a rock via storage seal. Once the two of them had slipped into their suits, Naruto looked at the kunoichi expectantly, waiting.

"Do I have to?" She asked.

"It's either this, or you wear a spandex bodysuit and get a bowl cut like Lee for a week." Naruto said. Tenten cringed.

"Alright, at least this will be over quickly." Tenten sighed as she waded over to the blond.

"That depends on how good you are at it." Naruto said, still grinning. Tenten merely sat next to him and undid the top of his suit before she lowered her head and got to work. "Aaah..." Naruto moaned. "You're a natural Ten-chan, keep this up and it shouldn't take too long." He said as he placed his hand on the back of her head, encouraging her as she bobbed her head up and down on his member, working her tongue along the shaft as she did so.

"Yeah...I really know how to pick 'em." Naruto said as he leaned his head back simply enjoyed the blowjob.

**End Omake**

**AN: Please review and let me know what's good, what's bad, and ways I can improve. I do not have spellcheck so feel free to point out errors. **

**PS, I will not respond to reviews in-story, please PM me if you have questions.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ch. 9**

"H-Hey Gaara." Kankuro stuttered, terror evident on his paint-covered face. The puppeteer looked around rapidly, trying to find an excuse that wouldn't get him killed. Luckily, Naruto took care of it.

"Hey, Kankuro, who is this guy?" Naruto asked, staring intently at the red-head.

"Oh! This is my little brother, Gaara. Gaara, this is..." Kankuro trailed off, realizing he didn't even know the orange-clad genin's name.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, Kankuro and I bumped into each other and he wanted to have a spar. Right buddy?" Naruto said quickly flashing a grin at the puppeteer. Kankuro simply nodded, hoping it would satisfy his brother.

"I see..." Gaara said, narrowing his eyes at the blond. "Tell me, are you strong?" He asked, his lips twitching as though he was fighting off a grin.

"I can probably beat just about any chunin back in my village, there are a few jonin I think I could handle as well." Naruto replied, narrowing his eyes at Gaara and returning his glare.

"Good, Mother will feast on your blood!" Gaara declared as the sand around his feet began to shift and a bloodthirsty grin spread across his face.

"You wish to kill me?" Naruto asked, watching the sand while keeping Gaara within his sight. The red-head just nodded as the sand began move more quickly. People on the street ran away, staring at the red-head with fear, disgust and loathing as they did so. "What exactly do you gain if you kill me?" Naruto asked, a calm and curious look on his face.

"By killing you, I prove to the world that I exist." Gaara growled his eyes shadowing over as though he was in deep thought. "They will all acknowledge my existance, I will not disappear!" He shouted. He moved his hands towards Naruto and the sand obeyed the silent order. Naruto didn't move.

"I see...you want people to recognize you, you want people to see you so that you can assure yourself that you exist. Tell me, how can I acknowledge your existance if I'm dead?" Naruto said. His words stopped Gaara, and his sand, cold. The red-head blinked.

"...What?" He asked after a moment of silence, the sand dropping back to the ground as he stared at the blond in confusion.

"I said, 'how can I acknowledge your existance if I'm dead?'" Naruto said, speaking slowly to get his point across. "Whenever you kill some one, that's one less person that can see that you exist. If you kill everyone, the only person that will acknowledge you is your biju." He continued, getting shocked looks from the two Suna shinobi.

"How'd you know Gaara's a jinchuriki!?" Kankuro demanded, unwrapping his puppet as he prepared to fight.

"I'd be a pretty lousy jinchuriki if I couldn't sense one of my own kind." Naruto replied, his blue eyes turning red and slitted before returning to normal. "Gaara, you and Shukaku will be a lot happier if you try to get along with each other." He said before turning towards the newcomer that was sitting on the roof behind him. It was a good vantage point, it had a perfect view of him and there was nothing stopping the shinobi from attacking at a distance.

"What's going on here?" The kunoichi asked. She was blond with her long hair tied in four seperate ponytails and had a giant metal war-fan on her back.

"This kid just talked Gaara out of killing him." Kankuro answered, trying to process what he had just learned of the blond.

"What? How the hell did he do that!?" She asked, shocked.

"Logic." Naruto replied casually as he snapped his fingers in the face of an unresponsive Gaara. "...I think I broke him." It was at that moment that Gaara blinked and stepped away from his blond counterpart.

"Your reasoning is...interesting...I will think about what you have said." Gaara said, turning and walking away as his sand returned to his gourd. Naruto turned towards Kankuro and the blond kunoichi.

"So...Can I get your name? Or should I just call you Yonbi-chan?" Naruto asked, smirking inwardly when he saw the kunoichi's eye twitch.

"My name is Temari, and I'm the daughter of the Kazekage, _runt_." The kunoichi, Temari, growled.

"Are you serious?" Naruto asked. The smirk on Temari's face was all the answer he needed. "Cool. Can I talk to him?" He continued, getting a surprised look from the kunoichi and Kankuro.

"Why do you wanna talk to dad?" Kankuro asked. Naruto quickly connected the dots from that statement, realizing the Temari was Kankuro and Gaara's sister.

"I have information about a possible threat to Sunagakure and its inhabitants. Is that a good enough reason or do I need more?" Naruto replied.

"...Okay, let's assume we believe you, why not tell us and have us relay it to Kazekage-sama?" Temari asked, obviously skeptical.

"Because I just prevented an international incident and you owe me one for that reason." Naruto said calmly. He could see Temari's hand inching towards her weapon, obviously pissed at how he said that. Luckily, Kankuro spoke up.

"He's got a point sis, he did stop Gaara from attacking him." The puppeteer said.

"So? How is that cause for an international incident? Gaara attacks just about everybody...even us." She said, muttering the last two words under her breath.

"Right, you weren't within hearing range when I told Gaara and Kankuro...I'm a jinchuriki too, there's also the fact that the Sandaime Hokage is rather fond of me." Naruto explained. "Now, about that meeting?"

"Alright, we'll see if Kazekage-sama will speak with you." Temari said, obviously annoyed that some 'punk-ass Leaf genin' was getting his way.

"Lead the way, Yonbi-chan!" Naruto said, grinning. Temari's eye twitched, but she led the way towards the Kazekage's office. Kankuro gave the blond jinchuriki a thumbs-up as they followed along.

_Minutes later, Kazekage's office_

"Kankuro, why have you brought a Leaf genin into my office?" The Yondaime Kazekage asked, obviously annoyed at the interruption of his paperwork...you'd think he'd love a break, Kami knows Hiruzen does.

"Ya see Dad...the thing is..." Kankuro said nervously, unsure of how to broach the subject.

"My apologies, Kazekage-sama." Naruto said, losing patience. "I am Uzumaki Naruto, Jinchuriki of Konohagakure no Sato, and I have information of a possible threat to your village and its people." Naruto explained, taking a quick Biju-enhanced sniff of the office. He froze when he got a whiff of that same snake-like scent from their 'client' that ditched them. "He's already been here." He said, a look of surprise on his face.

"What?" The Kage asked coldly, not sure if he was being tricked yet going along with it just in case he wasn't.

"The smell of snakes and dead skin, that's what our client gave off. The strange thing was that it was concealed with a smell-altering genjutsu that made him smell like coconut. From those two things, I deduced that our so-called client was Orochimaru of the Sennin." The blond said. He noticed that the Kazekage tensed ever so slightly and he was giving off a mix of negative emotions, fear being the most prominant.

It was easy to figure out the rest from there. "You made a deal with him...didn't you?" Naruto asked calmly, already knowing the answer. Before anyone could reply, four Suna Anbu leapt from the corners of the room and sliced into the blond...or so they thought. One second they're stabbing a genin that knew to much, the next there was a small, controlled explosion that was just powerful enough to incapacitate the Anbu that recieved a front row seat to the **Bunshin Daibakuha (Clone Great Explosion)**.

"I gotta say, I expected more out of the Anbu." Naruto said, dropping the painted sheet that looked just like the office wall. "Gotta love privacy seals too." He noted. "Now, as I was saying, whatever deal you made with Orochimaru to invade Konoha-"

"How did you know that was the plan?" The Kazekage asked, curiosity outweighing his common sense to kill the boy immediately.

"...I just took a shot in the dark." He deadpanned. "Anyway, Orochimaru is going to betray you whether you do what he says or not...I mean, he's the snake sage for a reason, but I'm certain we can turn this around to make Suna look like a hero." Naruto said.

"...I should disregard what you're saying and kill you now, but I'll humor you and your ideas for a bit." The Kazekage said, interested in the young genin that had made a mockery out of his 'elite' shinobi.

"Basically, you play along like this meeting never happened. The only thing you need to do is never meet Orochi-teme outside of your village for any reason. Just tell him you had a security breach and you're not taking any chances." Naruto said, gesturing to the unconcious Anbu at the end of his statement.

"Then, right as the invasion starts, you have your shinobi take out the snake's forces, I'm assuming he's going going to have some kind of army or squadron or whatever, and while he's caught off guard by your betrayal, you and whoever you have at your side take him out, making Suna look like the trustworthy ally you're supposed to be instead of traitors that you can't trust." He finished.

The Kazekage was floored. He had been about to invade a country he had made an alliance with in the middle of a public spectacle that everyone would know about, making them seem untrustworthy just as the boy had claimed. There was one flaw however...

"And what do we tell Konoha about being ready to stop the invasion of the chunin exams the moment it occurs?" He asked.

"The truth." Naruto replied. "You say that Orochimaru came to you with a plan to destroy the Leaf, providing you with information he would need a spy or mole to obtain, which made it obvious that informing them was out of the question, as Orochimaru may have found out and the plan would be ruined." He explained, sitting back in the chair he had sat in and looking as though he had just beaten a Nara at shogi...which is actually a good comparison, since he had out-schemed Orochimaru and played the politics of the situation better than the Kazekage could have hoped.

"...I'll agree to your terms." The Kazekage said, hiding his surprise at being caught red-handed by a genin who had bested four Anbu at once before fearlessly negotiating with one of the most fearsome shinobi in the world.

"You don't have much of an alternative, short of invading Konoha within the next few days." Naruto replied, smirking as he made himself more comfortable in his chair.

"Oh? And why is that?" The Kazekage asked.

"Three things. First: I'm the jinchuriki of the Kyubi no Kitsune, so killing me will present a bit of a problem, seeing as I've rigged the seal to unravel when I die." Naruto explained, surprising the Kazekage with this information. "Second: My team consists of Sarutobi Asuma, son of the Sandaime Hokage, and the heirs of both the Inuzuka and Yamanaka clans. Third, and the least likely to be explained away: Our client was succesfully escorted to your village, which means he is obligated to pay our fee, and people will wonder where we are if we don't show up when our mission is recorded as a success." Naruto finished, more or less putting the Kazekage in a political checkmate.

"...I can't believe I've been outsmarted by a genin in an orange jumpsuit." The Kazekage sighed after a moment of silence. "Alright, I'll go along with your plan, but promise me one thing." He said.

"What do need?"

"Please don't tell anyone you outsmarted me!" The veil-wearing Kage pleaded, anime-tears streaming down what could be seen of his face.

"Deal, and I'll throw in the secret to defeating paperwork." Naruto agreed, getting a surprised look from the Kage. "The secret is...USE A SOLID BUNSHIN!" Naruto yelled. The Kazekage, despite the ringing in his ears, had a look of shock on his face before he began slamming his head on his desk.

"Stupid!Stupid!Stupid!Stupid!" He shouted as he beat his head against the stone surface of his desk (It's a desert, so I doubt they would have a lot of wood available).

_"Wow...Just like when I broke the news to Jiji."_ Naruto thought as he observed the Kage in front of him, idly noticing that his hat and veil were somehow undisturbed during the bout of self-harm.

_**"I know...it's uncanny!"**_ Kurama chimed in.

The Kazekage and his two elder children would later realize they never saw Naruto exit the office that day. Something that would undoubtedly annoy them for a few weeks at least.

**Done! Please review, tell me what was good, bad, ways I can improve, etc.**

**Please remember search Kenchi618 on fanfiction for all your Naruto needs!**

**PS: Sorry about the wait, but you guys were warned in the summary, so...yeah. (No reason it took so long, I was just lazy.)**

**Updates only occur on weekends due to lack of home internet, just thought I'd mention it.**


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